Tales of Change
by Legna the Sorcerer
Summary: Grand Chase retell a tale that has changed them in more ways than one, whether through pain, happiness, betrayal, or more, all on their quest to stop Kaze'aze. Everyone is more than they seem. Pain cuts through them all, internally and externally.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**: New story, yes, but I have a script to go off of this time, so hopefully this'll turn out better. Just to let you readers know, if you have not played Grand Chase, you may be confused as to who's who. Go to grand chase . ntreev .net (no spaces) and click on characters on the left side.

–

Who knew pain could come in so many forms. It can be physically, mentally. . . and emotionally. Things could've ended differently, but I'm glad they didn't, or else one, maybe more, would be dead. Now we're all retelling this tale, all eight of us, no matter how much it hurts to think about the past, no matter the small part we may have had. . .

–

I'm. . . just an elf. A very happy one at that. Happily married, with two children, but, I wonder. . . what he saw in _her_. Was it because she, too, was a sentinel? Sometimes the thought just pulls at my mind, but I know that he truly loves me. He asked me to marry him, and it was such a lovely wedding, the best day of my life, I think. Oh, the sound of the forest, the caress of the soft breeze as we said our wedding vows, and the sight of my own husband as he slipped the ring onto my finger, whispered to me, "I love you," and then kissed me. . . But before he proposed to me, my heart was in pieces, by the very same elf that I love. . .

–

I never asked to get involved. But maybe by wanting to join Grand Chase, I already chose to get involved in all of this, whether I wanted to or not. It wasn't worth it to see my two closest friends get hurt, even though I somewhat despised them at first. However, they are now my dearest friends, almost like kin to me. I tend to explode upon others if they try and hurt them or me. One of them used to be. . . Well, he's now the one I love, the one who, despite being a bit off at times, the one I used to attack a lot, like sticking bombs down his pants or in his hair, is now the one so close to me, I cannot bare to see him hurt. Times change, and so do people, no matter how tough they may seem.

–

I'll never figure out how I managed to hurt her so badly. Well, I know how, but, I thought I would've been able to control myself better. I did what could've been the worst thing to her, but she took me back, in the end. If I never went to her, to try and convince her that I loved her, to get her to forgive me, she might be dead by now. . . All the blood, i-it scared me, it tore at me, knowing the state I put her in, all the pain she went through. . . because of me. . . But now, I'm just so happy I'm with her again, so happy, I feel as if I could cry. It hurts though, to think of the past again, but, I should know that it's just the past, but the past is an ugly reminder, sometimes, of the present, and maybe even the future. But, I'm just glad that it can be a pleasant reminder, too.

–

How could I have been so stupid before? What did I ever see in _her_? But that doesn't matter now. No, what matters is my precious wife, the one I love so much, it hurts. In fact, I was the one who hurt her, and maybe I could've ended up being the one that killed her in a way that would be almost torture to her. I knew she was so upset. . . She didn't even want to see me. S-She told me that it hurt to even think of me, or even hear my own name. I-I never had to beg her for forgiveness, but. . . maybe it's because she already forgave me when I proposed to her. . . Either way, I love her, and there is no one else in the world that makes me feel the way I do whenever I'm around her.

–

My own past. . . It has haunted me for so long now. But I've found someone who, despite my past, loves me either way. At first, I was somewhat afraid of her, then I tried to kill her, but I realized I just couldn't kill her, couldn't just take her life so easily. No. If I did, I would never be able to live with myself, knowing I killed her, even if, even if. . . I didn't deserve her. Though we love each other so much, I feel as if I don't deserve her, this precious girl I'm in love with. But it may have been because of her, and my past, that my role in this grew great. It was. . . because of me, that we all almost perished. . . And for that, I hope everyone forgives me.

–

I'm an oracle, a dancer, a muse, and perhaps more. You'll never really know. But either way, no matter who or what I am, I can't forget my experiences with this group, ever. So much has gone on, and I feel like I was a bystander, watching the events unfold, unable to do nothing. . . But still, my friends want me to write down my part, but they won't force me. I fell in love with one of these guys, but he's not for me, never for me, because he doesn't love me, but I'm glad. I'm glad that he's with a girl he loves. Even if he thought it was wrong.

–

What can I say? There's nothing I can say. When I think about it now, I was the start of this huge mess. It's all my fault, and I hope that someday, everyone will trust me, forgive me. . . I can't tell anyone my true feelings of the girl I like, because even she won't trust me. I regret what I did, all the pain I caused, all the sorrow. Please forgive me. I don't know why I did it, and I might never will.


	2. Chapter 1: Fateful Night

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the shortness, but I had planned to switch Point of Views by the time she went to. . . empty her stomach. I left out a chunk, but it would end up with questions asked to me I wouldn't know how to answer. So, I hope you enjoy.

--

I could never remember the day exactly, but the time was after we had freed Samsara, a God that resided in the Temple of Cuatal. We were eating something that Arme had cooked up, which was quite tasty. Even so, it left this bitter aftertaste, but I thought nothing of it. I should have realized something was wrong, especially the way Ronan was looking at me. Usually, I liked it when he glanced over at me, but this time, he was practically staring at me. It made me nervous, more than I thought it should have, and I just couldn't eat anymore.

In truth, nervousness wasn't the reason why I couldn't eat, but I never knew at the time. It was when I woke up in the middle of the night with Ronan on top of me did I realize something was wrong. I didn't know what to do. I panicked, but my body didn't respond. Rather, it _couldn't_ respond. Yet, I was almost happy I could hardly move. I ended up closing my eyes, as I felt hands brush the side of my body.

When I woke up again in the morning, I almost fainted. My body felt so weak, and my head was spinning. After awhile, I could hear someone saying something. It took me awhile before I realized that it was Ronan, and he was repeating "baby" over and over, almost hysterically. It sent a slight spark through me, but I thought nothing of it.

"What about a baby?" I asked him. He seemed to ignore me, however, so I asked him again. Again, he didn't respond.

As I started to try and repeat myself a third time, Ronan fainted in front of me. His repeated blathering already annoyed me, so I mustered up the strength to get up and nudge him in the side with my foot. Getting up turned out to be a bad idea. Before I could even say his name, my stomach started acting up, and I was hit with waves of nausea.

Fearing the worst, I abandoned what I was doing and sprinted to the bathroom, where I emptied out my almost-empty stomach of what remained of last night's meal.


	3. Chapter 2: His True Feelings

**Author's Note**: I'm doing good at writing chapters. Now that school's out, though, let's see what happens. Enjoy chapter 2.

--

My instincts almost never lie to me, and damn, they were right again when I rushed into where Elesis normally slept and found an unconscious Ronan and a missing Elesis. Already I was pissed off when Lass had dumped a bucket of cold water on me to wake me up, and seeing Ronan here of all places didn't really help my temper. I went over and kicked him in the side as hard as I could, practically screaming at him to wake up. He woke up, coughing as if he had a sore throat.

"Wh-Wha?!" Ronan managed to cough out.

"Why the hell are you sleeping on the floor?!" I yelled back at him in response. I wasn't in the mood for this, I had to find out what happened.

"I-I think I passed out," someone else replied. It turned out to be Lass. So, I yelled at him that I wasn't talking to him, and he accused me of lying. Well, he couldn't accuse me of anything anymore after I kicked him in the crotch and left him crying like a baby. At that point, Ronan, the one who I was originally asking, told me he may have fainted from shock.

When I asked, he hesitated a bit, before trying to tell me as fast as he could that Elesis was pregnant. With his baby. Okay, my mood meter dropped even more.

"How the hell did you do that?!" I yelled. "Wait, don't answer that. _Why_ the hell did you do that?!"

Ronan looked down a bit, but I could see the fear in his eyes. "I-It was. . . It was a bet," he told me, almost a whisper. I glared at him, and when he looked up, I swear he went pale. Trying to remain calm, I asked him who the bet was with, and what the hell it was for. Ronan looked over at Lass, who seemed to have recovered, and said, "Lass, g-give me the pamphlet."

I asked Ronan what the pamphlet was about, and he told me it was on the bet, so I told him to give me the pamphlet. Sometime during this, Elesis came back in, collapsed on her bed, and fell asleep. Anyway, I decided to sneak up on Lass, and stole the pamphlet off of him. He was about to protest, but that protest died away in his throat as I glared daggers at him. You don't know how much I wanted to roast his ass off with a Firestorm as I read the pamphlet.

It read, "Well, here's the deal. If you can have sex with Elesis without getting her pregnant, you can get all the hentai you want, along with Vanessa's. . ." Well, that was as far as I got before I turned to Ronan, who cringed from me. I took a deep breath, which caused Ronan to try and hide himself, shaking in fear.

After I watched him for a bit, I asked him a simple question. "Do you even like Elesis, Ronan?" He looked at me, a bit surprised, before replying, "Why does it matter to you, Arme?" His question surprised me a bit. I looked at Ronan before I answered him. "Ronan. . . Elesis, she's like a sister to me, and dammit, if I find out you don't even like her back, I swear to you that you'll be missing a limb," I told him, before I took out a knife.

Ronan eyed the knife nervously, and said, "N-No, I do like her! A lot!" I was a bit skeptical, and asked if he was lying. He told me he wasn't, and I asked once more, a bit more threateningly. I heard Lass say, "What about Vanessa?" I was just about to lunge at Ronan when he said, "T-That was for Vanessa." At that moment, Ryan burst in, shouting, "Oh my goodness, you weren't supposed to tell them!"

I think I screamed "How many fucking idiots do I have to deal with today?!" but I wasn't sure, I was too mad. That was it. I was going to reveal this all.

Looking at Ryan, I pointed at him and said in a voice that seemed to scare Ryan, "You know what Ryan? I'm telling Lire about you and Vanessa. And Ronan, I'm telling Elesis that she should just give up on you." Even while I was talking, Ryan had dropped to his knees and begged me not to do it. That just confirmed how he felt about Vanessa. It hurt me a bit, knowing how much the girls loved the morons.

Ryan interrupted my thoughts, telling me he'd dump Vanessa, I think. I didn't hear him though, as I yelled at Elesis to wake up. I could see Ronan flinch as I called her name out, and he looked away. Elesis managed to get up, rubbing her head, groaning a bit. "Ugh, my head, what do you want, Arme?" Before I could answer her, the boys practically jumped at me, knocking me to the floor. I yelped in surprise, as they all were shouting "No!"

Elesis looked at us, somewhat annoyed, and asked me, "Why did you wake me up so I could watch your stupid antics. . ." I managed to stick my head out from the dog pile and said, "I have to tell you something, Elesis." For some reason, she looked worried, and she had every reason to be worried. Someone seemed as if they froze, and I wanted to kick their asses off of me. I did manage to crawl out and sit down on the floor.

I started to tell Elesis, before Ronan shoved me aside and embraced her. Ronan seemed to try to wordlessly tell Elesis that he loved her. Ryan shouted, "It's a lie!" while Lass said, at the same time, "She's conniving!" while pointing at me, before he dropped his hand, probably thinking of what I could do to his sorry ass. I noticed Elesis was surprised by the hug, letting out a small squeak, before she hugged him back, but her eyes showed fear.

Ronan finally looked at me, and sighed. His words were hesitant. "Elesis. . . I-I don't. . . I don't love you as much as you think I do," Ronan managed to say, his voice almost a whisper. The effect was almost instant. Elesis tried to hide the pain that hit her, but it was clear in her eyes. She looked at Ronan, as if he had attacked her physically with his sword, and shoved him, and ran out of the room.

No one spoke for awhile, before I finally said, "I guess that was it for you, then, Ronan." I heard Ronan whisper, "I'm sorry, Elesis," as I walked out of the room.


	4. Chapter 3: Not What I Intended

**Author's Note**: Oddly enough, my Yahoo icon is of the couple that highlighted here. Okay, so that's not odd, I have no idea for an AN this time. Chapter 4 is probably coming somewhere in June, I've lost inspiration to write for now.

--

I was so stupid, to have hurt her like that. But, I wasn't even myself. Even so, it was my fault, because I knew what I said, and I had to. I regret it, because now I know that those words didn't need to be said.

I watched Arme walk off, and I felt like crying. Ryan said, probably trying to comfort me, "It's okay, there's always Amy." At those words, I just cried. Lass said, "Well, Amy is kind of cute. I-I mean. . ." In reply to pretty much no one, I muttered, "I didn't mean to hurt Elesis like that, I didn't."

Then someone entered the room, but I wasn't sure. When I looked up, I was met with a hard slap to the face. It stung, too. I saw, through the tears, that it was Lire who had slapped me. Before I could even make a sound, she walked over to Ryan, who was trying to hide, and kicked him in the crotch. Ouch. Ryan doubled over in pain as Lass started laughing at Ryan. I would have laughed, but I was in pain myself.

Lire then walked out, and Arme walked in. Her face was expressionless, even as she told us bad news. "Guys, the team is now separated. The three of you are on your own. Also, Ronan, I've convinced Elesis to get rid of the child. It won't be a reminder of what you've done to her. Farewell." With that said, Arme left us.

It took a minute for her words to sink in, before I sunk down onto the bed, holding my head in my hands. I choked out, "No, no, what am I going to do. . ." I felt Lass caress my back, and I shot him a look. He stopped immediately, saying, "Sorry, gay moment."

Already I forgot what Lass did, and cried, "I don't want Elesis to go through an abortion! I-I. . ."

"Well, at least it shows how much you care for her," Ryan said in response. I glared at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snapped at him.

Before Ryan could respond, Amy came in, greeting me in an overly-cheery voice. I greeted her back half-heartedly. Then she said something I didn't want to think about anymore. "So, I heard you and Elesis are no more?"

I could hardly look at her as I said, "I wish it wasn't so. . ." When she asked what I meant, I only told her that I wish I hadn't done what I did. Then Amy said, in a teasing voice, almost as if she were taunting me, "Aw, are you still in looooooove with her?"

Nothing was said after those words, and I just turned my head from her, biting back a sound. Then she continued. "Or is it just a high school crush, to be gone and over with once you realized you knocked her up?" Amy can be such a bitch. I glared up at her, my gaze already faltering as her face was in my line of sight, and replied, "Th-That's kind of harsh, Amy. . ."

Of course, Amy had another reply ready. "Well, what you did was pretty harsh itself. I mean, you drugged her, then you did it with her and got her pregnant, and then you told her you didn't even love her. How is what I _said_ harsh, compared with what _you_ did?" Her words somewhat surprised me, even though they were true. "I-I. . . What are you doing?"

"Doing? I'm only asking you one thing. You never really loved her, did you?" she asked me.

"Of course I've loved Elesis. I've loved her for a long time. But. . ." I faltered.

Amy looked at me as if she were puzzled before asking, "But what? Is it because of how old you are compared to her?"

She hit it right on the mark. I looked down, rubbing my elbow, before answering her. "I-It's kind of strange. I really don't want to get it in the way of how I feel, but I can't help it."

Amy took only a second to respond. "But have you ever thought about those married couples with large age gaps, like ten years? I mean, really, ten years!" I looked at her. I knew what she meant, but. . . "But it's different, Amy. I-I mean, I'm al-almost twenty, and she's just a teenager still."

She scoffed at me as if I was joking. Amy started to pace a bit, and I couldn't help but watch her, while feeling a bit tired from this. She then said, "She's almost sixteen, you're almost twenty, that's at least around four years."

At first, I thought she didn't get it. "I'm almost an adult, Amy! I can't be with a teenager, it . . . it feels kind of o-odd."

"Ronan, isn't eighteen an adult already? She's already close," she just said. "That doesn't mean much, your age gap I mean. Why does it matter if you're just four years older than her, if you love her? Because really, you technically _made_ her an adult, whether or not she or you wanted that."

"But. . . But what should I do?" I asked her. What she said, it sort of made sense, but what should I do now?

Then Amy asked me another question. "Do you really love her? Truly, seriously, I-would-die-for-you serious?" I just nodded. "Then go convince her. In a few months, she's going to get rid of the baby."

I didn't want that. I don't want that, ever, to happen. "H-How do I know where she is?" I asked her. After all, who knows where the girls are now. Amy pretended to think for a bit, before she answered, "I'm not positive, exactly. I stayed behind. Perhaps you should try and just do a search? Get going, otherwise. . ." She didn't have to finish.

While I was trying to call for the other two, Ryan and Lass, Amy skipped out, waving to me in farewell. Ryan and Lass came in, colliding into Amy. Ryan looked somewhat surprised at Amy's presence, but then looked at me.

"Uhm, I burnt the. . . you know," he said, not looking at me. I knew what he meant.

Amy dashed in front of Ryan, and then asked him quickly, "RyanIwannaknowifyouloveLire." He looked at her in surprise, before he answered, "O-Of course I do. And don't worry, I plan to make it up to her. Even. . . Even if I have to make a fool of myself."

Amy looked as if she were thinking before saying, "Weeeeeeeell, if you truly do love her. . . Truly truly, absolutely. . ."

Ryan almost fell to his knees, but managed to stay standing. "Of course I do!" Amy just flipped her hair and said, "I can't believe all the complications that love has. I hope to never fall in love and to just remain an oracle!" Then she skipped out, before I could even thank her.

I turned to the other two. "Well, it looks like we have a search to do."


	5. Chapter 4: Painful Encounter

**Author's Note**: Don't ask why Lass is like this. It's funner that way. And Arme. . . well, she somehow turned from cheery mage from Serdin to one that likes inflicting pain to Lass. And some of the other guys occasionally.

What? Don't look at me that way, I don't believe that a mage who's after the Queen of Darkness' magic would simply be some happy, cheery mage, despite the in-game dialogue.

--

I'll say this right now; I was most likely the most surprised how some things turned out. After all, I was the one who kept grabbing her and _maybe somewhat_ harassing her. In turn, she inflicted pain on me. Firey, explodey pain that would make any grown man cry like a baby. I, however, wasn't a grown man. And dammit, I'm so lucky that I have this unnaturally huge tolerance for pain. It must come with being possessed, right?

Anyway, enough about that.

It had been maybe a month or two since me and the other two boys set out in search of the group of four girls. No, we are not stalking them. If you read the previous entries, you would know why we are searching for them. It was a problem with love. Boy, I was thinking I was lucky that I didn't fall in love. Of course, I later realized I was lucky to _fall_ in love. But I'm getting off topic, which seems to happen with me a lot. I guess I just don't like to think about the past so much, especially with all the pain it caused. . .

Anyway, one day, it just so happened that one day, I spotted Arme. I ran over to her, but apparently, the noise frightened her, as she turned around and pretty much disintegrated. Ouch. It really hurt, yet oddly enough, I still had some sense of. . . life. Or something. I somehow heard Arme mutter, "Crap," before I could actually see, feel, smell, etcetera, again. Except, Arme looked at me as if I were a disgusting little creature. In fact, that's what she had accidentally turned me into. Or maybe it was on purpose, she never told me.

"Great, you look absolutely _disgusting_, Lass," she confirmed for me. She then proceeded to turn me into a pile of mush and reattempt to reform me, failing each time. I think she swore really loudly, I wasn't sure, my hearing kept changing, giving me a headache. Finally, after so many tries, I was back to normal.

"Finally," Arme said in annoyance. I felt as if something was missing, however. Then it hit me.

"Agh! Arme! You forgot my dick!" I cried out, doubling over dramatically. I peeked up, and saw Arme looking at me as if I was crazy. She looked as if she was thinking hard for a bit, before replying, "Eh, you don't need that."

It was my turn to look at her as if she were crazy. I mean, what would I be without my dick?!

"Yes I do, Arme!" I yelled at her. "I mean, how else can I do my infamous Invisible Stick!"

There was a minute or so of silence. Eventually, Arme said, "First off, I thought you say 'Invisibility'. Second of all, I'm never fighting you again as long as you are a Dark Assassin."

Pfft, invisibility.

Before I could say anything, however, Arme asked, "Hey, where's Ryan and Ronan? I haven't seen those two idiots lately. Have they finally hanged themselves? Or did you rape them to death?" She said that last part in a way that made me stick my tongue out at her, and then proceeding to dodge her kicks.

I at least had to answer her though, even if she was trying to kick me to death.

"They're still trying to commit suicide. But the boss turned them into a special-needs treatment."

Arme looked at me funny (again) and asked about the boss. I stuck my tongue out at her again and said, "I'm not telling you who he is."

"What if I give you your dick back then?" she offered. "I'll turn straight?" I replied back.

Arme looked as if she just wanted to kill me right here, right now. "No, I mean if I give it back to you, will you tell me who your boss is? I personally don't care if you turn straight."

Tempting offer. I started thinking about it. Now, let me say this now. You know how everyone usually has a good conscience and a bad conscience? Well, mine looks like Ronan and the Nephilim Ryan turns into, respectively.

My good conscience, Ronan, said, "Don't do it Lass! It's against the rules!" I wanted to ask him, "What rules?"

My bad conscience, the Ryan Neph, said, "Do it, dammit! You need your dignity back!" Well, he was right about that. . .

I heard Arme say, "Do we have a deal? Or are you going to remain a girly boy forever, Lass?" I could tell she was becoming impatient.

My Ronan conscience looked a bit nervous, and then he got shot and kicked off my shoulder by my Ryan Neph conscience. I looked up at Arme and nodded at her question.

Arme, finally looking satisfied, held out her wand in my direction, and said, "First of all, tell me his name."

I looked around a bit, as if looking for someone to back me up or convince me to do the opposite. Of course, there was none.

Slowly but surely, I said, "His name, it's. . ." I swear I could hear my good conscience weakly cry out, "No. . . don't. . ." and my bad conscience crying out, "Yes!" along with numerous tearing sounds, and splurts and I stopped listening after the splurts.

"It's Jin," I finished. Arme's look of surprise turned into shocked anger. If there was such a thing.

"Jin?!" she shouted. I nodded. "Jin of all _people_?! He. . . I. . . Augh!" she screamed, as her staff glowed with activated magic. I felt something down low, if you catch my drift, and let out a soft cry of happiness.

Then Arme said, "Oops." I just stared at her questioningly. "Wrong place," she said, waving her wand a few times. I felt something disappear, then reappear a bit higher up. Well, apparently it was down a bit _too_ low.

I just stared at Arme for a bit before I went over to Arme and hugged her, shouting, "Thank you, Arme!" She squirmed in my grasp, managing to say, "Don't mention it. . ." Then I heard her mutter, "The things I have to do for others. . . I mean, they have to know it's useless. Now, let me go!" Her last sentence was said aloud, in which I quickly complied. After all, I didn't want to get badly hurt again.

Then Arme started talking to herself. I used to wonder if she was a bit crazy, but then I later found out it was her way of voicing her worries subconsciously.

"Maybe we should use a clothes hanger. . . But that'd probably hurt," I heard her mutter.

"Huh?" I said.

Arme shot me an annoyed glance before saying, "I'm just talking to myself." Which she then proceeded to do again. "I wonder what would happen if Lire was pregnant. . . Would she want to get rid of the child too, at this moment?"

That shocked me.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

Swinging her staff at me, Arme yelled, "I said I was just talking to myself! And just to let you know in case you got the wrong idea," which I did, "Lire isn't pregnant, I was just thinking about what would happen if she _was_!

So then, out of curiosity, I just had to ask, "But what about Elesis?" I hoped she would tell me what I wanted to hear.

Arme looked down, saying, "She's still pregnant."

Okay, so there's still hope for Ronan.

"Y'know," I started. "You should get the two girls to visit the boys in this special place. I mean, the boys are in straight jackets!" Arme just stared at me, her facing saying, "What the fuck are you crazy?" Maybe I was. So, I took out a picture and showed it to Arme. "Could you at least show the girls this?" I forgot what was on the picture, but I knew it was the right one, since it was the only picture I had with me.

Arme took it, and looked at it. She almost seemed a bit sad, before saying, "I will, but I don't think they'll let me show it to them." Then, she quickly (or so she thought) reached over, grabbed something from me, and dashed off. I quickly took chase. Not too long after, she tripped.

"Invisible Stick!" I cried out, turning invisible. Arme quickly got on her hands and yelled out, "If I feel something poke me _anywhere_ I swear I will personally _castrate_ you with your own knife, Lass!"

Well, that immediately stopped me. I watched her get up, brush herself off, and start to walk off. Thinking quickly, I ran behind her, grabbed her hands, and held up a knife to her neck.

Arme let out of a soft hiss of annoyance. "You're serious?" she said. "You really think I'm scared?"

No, of course not.

"Fine," I said, and used Fatal Fury Tempest on her. Blood started dripping from the wound I gave her, as she let out a loud cry, and almost fell over. Before she could speak, I said, "Now, if you don't tell me what you took, I will use Splash Explosion on you, most likely ending your life."

Arme said, with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "All I took was your fucking knife. You're going to kill me just because I took a stupid knife?"

Well, the answer was obvious. "Yes. I want my knife back!" I cried out. After all, it was _my_ knife. Arme looked at me as if I were crazy.

"It's. . . just a knife."

"But it's _my_ knife!"

"You can get another one! Besides, I might need it." Then Arme proceeded to elbow me in the stomach, yelling at me to let her go. When I didn't, she kicked me hard enough that I did let go. Then she ran from me, but I must say, she's slow. So, of course, I gave chase.

"Invisible Stick!" I cried out, disappearing from sight. Arme yelled, "What the hell did I say earlier, Lass?!" It seemed silent for a bit, before I poked her in the back with my finger. Of course, she thought it was something else and proceeded to use Firestorm on me, burning me up. Painful.

I could hear her shout, "Die Lass!" I managed to choke out, in case these were my final words, "I'm. . . not. . . gay. . ." She replied, "Yes you are." Then I think she walked off, but then came back and made it so I wasn't burnt up and crispy. Then Arme started to walk off, but I grabbed her feet, getting dragged along.

"Not so fast!" I said. "Where are you going?"

Arme tried to kick me off, saying, "Let go of me! I'm just going someplace!"

When I didn't let go, she kicked me again, and yelled, "Will you let me go Lass?! I can't walk like this!"

Well, then I proceeded to attack Arme, only to get attacked back.


	6. Chapter 5: Drunken Encounter

**Author's Note**: Short but sweet. I think.

--

I must admit, Lass seemed so. . . out of it, in the past. Or maybe stupid is the better word. Who knows, but he knew that by attacking me, I would attack him back. At least, back then.

Lass used Hypersonic Step on me, but I managed to narrowly avoid it and, while behind him, used Firestorm. Somehow, he managed to dodge that. Normally he gets hit by that, but he seemed intent on not getting hit by the falling rocks, so I took the opportunity to grab one of his Dark Assassin claws.

Almost immediately, Lass cried out, "Hey! That's what I use when I want to increase the pleasure of. . . killing!" He and I both knew what he was going to say, and I immediately tossed his claw back to him, which he gladly took. I didn't want something that he used for. . . personal reasons.

Then I demanded that he give me something to cut a certain someone open with. However, Lass resisted.

"I can't do that, Ronan will kill me," he told me. Too bad.

"I don't give a damn what Ronan will do, and it's not even his choice," I snapped back. Lass looked at me, saying, "Yes it is."

I didn't like being held up like this.

"Is not, Ronan even said that he didn't like Elesis," I told him. It was true, after all, but Lass told me that Ronan didn't, that he was there to hear the Abyss Knight's words. I shot him a look, before telling Lass, "He did, technically, and I was there too, nimrod."

"Technically, but he didn't!" Lass yelled at me.

"Well, it's not like he can do anything about it now!" I yelled back.

Then Lass took out something I had never seen before. Later, I found out it was some odd device called a cell phone. I still remember my reaction when I saw him take it out. I almost said, "What the fuck is that thing?" but I doubt he would've answered me anyway, so I just watched to see what Lass was doing with it. It looked like he was pressing something on it, before he held it up to his ear.

Then I found out Lass was somehow contacting Ronan. I could hear it faintly make an odd ringing noise, before I heard Ronan's voice.

"What the fuck is this?" I heard.

Ignoring all this, I demanded Lass to give me a sharp, clean object. Of course, I was ignored.

Lass told Ronan it was modernization, whatever that was. Then Ronan demanded Lass what he wanted. Ronan's voice sounded somewhat odd, however.

"I want you to. . . hey, wait, are you drinking?!" Lass exclaimed. That somewhat surprised me, Ronan drinking. I mean, he's normally responsible. Then again, being in rehab meant he did something bad.

I could hear Ronan deny he was drinking however, but he contradicted himself with how slurred his words were, and the hiccuping. Taking my chances with this odd object, I grabbed the phone out of Lass' hands. I think I heard Ronan whisper a swear, but I wasn't sure.

"What the hell are you doing in a bar, Ronan?!" I yelled into the thing. "I thought you were in rehab!"

"I brok-" he started, before hiccuping. "Out. Didn't Lass tell you?"

I looked at Lass, who looked quite surprised at this. Apparently he didn't know. Turning my attention back to my conversation with Ronan, I asked why Lass called him. Ronan just told me he had no clue.

Lass then told Ronan to "tell her." I started asking, before Ronan yelled, "Fucking about what?!" Then I heard someone to tell Ronan to calm down, followed by the sounds of metal meeting skin, and a bit of splattering. Ouch.

I heard Lass mutter, "He needs to lay off the drinks. . ."

For some reason, I felt as if I had to reassure Ronan of something, which compelled me to tell him, "Listen, Ronan, I just want to tell you that maybe we'll be back soon. But it might be a couple weeks or two." Why was I telling him this? "The sooner I find a knife, the sooner we can come back."

Ronan hiccuped again before saying, "No, wait, I-I have to talk to Elesis!"

"She's not here, nor does she ever want to see you again, Ronan," I told him. However, Ronan insisted. "Please, I have to tell her-," he started, before he hiccuped again, then someone screamed. "Oh, shut the _fuck_ up!" I heard Ronan scream. Then I heard an odd roaring noise. Whether that was Ronan in a fit of rage or his victim roaring in pain, I'll never know.

It soon fell silent for a few minutes, so I said, "Um, listen, I'll see you later, maybe, in a couple weeks." Then I heard Ryan yell, "Ronan, what the heck?!"

I guess Ryan arrived to see whatever Ronan did.

"Please, I need to speak to Elesis! Tell me where she is, please!" I heard Ronan plea. I ignored him, as something just hit me then; Elesis was a sword user. How the hell did I forget that?!

"Actually, we should be back within the week, see you then!" I tried to say cheerily, before I handed the device back to Lass, folded. Then I tried to run for it. Of course, I wasn't a runner, so I just teleported short distances. Ugh. I didn't realize, however, that Lass was following me from the shadows.


	7. Chapter 6: Arme's Breaking Point

**Author's Note**: Sucky chapter, sucky chapter name/hate. :D Also, full chapter name: **Arme's Breaking Point and the Druid's True Feelings**.

--

I sometimes feel as if I'm a bystander, but I know I'm not. After all, I had lost someone for awhile as well.

Anyway, I walked into the building I thought Ronan would be in (turned out to be a bar) and I saw Ronan there, and. . . well, I can't describe what I saw, it almost made me sick. He was yelling at something, so I told him to calm down. He then proceeded to yell at me, when I didn't really do anything wrong.

I walked over to him, not listening to his conversation with himself. In all actuality, he was having a conversation with Arme. Somehow. I didn't know how really.

"What the heck, Ronan?" I cried out, after seeing someone's body under a table. He just ignored me, continuing his conversation. One of these days, I swear I was going to whack him upside the head.

Soon after Ronan was done talking, he turned to me, and holding up some odd device, asked, "What the fuck is this?" Then he handed it to me. I so did not want that thing, so I took out my ax and sliced it cleanly in two, while telling him, "Beats me."

A few weeks later, guess who we found? Well, we found Arme. Actually, Lass found her first, but he apparently lost her, as he came back to us and said he found Arme, but doesn't know where she went. Then Ronan found her later. Well, she wasn't exactly too happy to see us.

"I thought I told you guys to stay away from me? Do you _want_ me to rape you?!" Arme yelled at Ronan, since he was the one to confront her. I'm glad she doesn't make good on threats that are, uh, like that, if you get what I mean. But Ronan, on the other hand. . .

"Sure, if you spare Elesis!" Ronan yelled back at her.

"She's not dieing, dammit!" Arme yelled. I think she likes yelling a lot.

Taking out his Tyrfing, Ronan told Arme threateningly, "Spare her of the abortion, or I i_will_/i kill you, Arme!" His words took me by surprise, and perhaps Arme's too, as Ronan normally wouldn't kill an innocent person. She quickly recovered from the surprise easily though.

"It's not my choice Ronan," Arme calmly said.

Ronan took a step closer to Arme and said, "Then _make_ it your choice!" I had never seen Ronan so. . . scary before. Usually it's Arme who scares me.

Then I remembered something that caused me to break down in tears so suddenly. It. . . It just hurt, knowing that Lire was hurt because of something stupid I did.

Everyone looked at me as if I were crazy, but I didn't care, I just missed Lire so much, loved her terribly much, I. . .

I could hear Arme telling me to quit crying, but I told her that I couldn't, I loved Lire too much. When I looked up, Arme looked almost. . . almost sad, maybe even sympathetic. Maybe I was imagining things, but still.

"Ryan, she loves you too, but. . . What you did, she's so upset, she hardly even speaks to anyone anymore," I heard her say.

I started pulling on the grass under me a bit. Suddenly, I realized what I wanted.

Looking up, tears streaming down my face, I blurted out, "I want to marry Lire!"

Everyone looked so shocked. I was a bit too, since I was only fifteen. Arme said my thoughts aloud, saying that the both of us were too young, making me feel a bit dejected.

"W-Well, I was just saying, but. . . would you really?" she asked. I tried to say yes, but instead nodded, I could hardly speak.

Arme turned away a bit and said, "Maybe you should go propose to her then." I just made some small noise, and nodded.

Turning to face me again, looking somewhat hesitant, Arme said, "Then, m-maybe I should take you to her." Immediately, Ronan said, "What about me?"

Then Lass jumped Arme and said, "And me!" while Arme was saying how Elesis wouldn't want to see Ronan ever again, and kicked got kicked off.

Ronan probably knew that Arme would say that, but he said, "I don't care. I love her so much, and I don't want her to go through anymore pain that she already is going through."

Arme, however, said, "I-I just can't, she insisted so badly, that she never wanted to see your face again, when I suggested maybe seeing him once more. . ." It sounded as if her voice was starting to sound a bit shaky, and at first, I thought it was my imagination playing games on me.

However, seeing Ronan trembling was not a part of my imagination. "I-I need to a-apologize to her. . . I-I wish I never did that do her, and e-even though she may never f-forgive me, I-I want her to know that I love her. . . And that I am t-truly sorry. . ." I felt as if I was going to cry some more. Ronan, he sounded so sincere, and perhaps the most hurt of the three of us. After all, Lass didn't really suffer much except for abuse from Arme.

But at that moment, I realized I should have felt sorry for both Arme _and_ Ronan.

"S-She shouts at me whenever I try and say your n-name. . ." Arme said. I could see the tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes. It was plain, what she had to go through with the girls, especially with Elesis, was doing something to her mental stability. It must have been truly painful of her to watch the girls as they suffered from the loss and heartache. . . and heartbreak.

Ronan's voice started cracking a bit as he tried not to cry as he said, "I-I know that you're concerned with Elesis and her f-feelings towards me, but I have to. I-It's something that I have to do. . ."

It looked as if Arme could hardly stand. Her efforts to sway us from seeing the girls dwindled down to nothing. Her last serious attempt, I would think, was when she said, "E-Elesis said that s-she'd try and impale me with her s-sword if I mentioned you once m-more. . . I know she's s-serious about it, as she almost sl-sliced my head off. . ." before she broke down crying.


	8. Chapter 7: Lass' Discovery and Pain

**Author's Note**: I think Lass is currently the most abused character in this story right now, wouldn't you agree? Actually I think he's the most abused in this story period, and I'm talking about upcoming chapters. I mean, he gets. . . Wait, that'd be spoiling it.

--

It was the first time I ever saw Arme cry. Sometimes I'm glad I got to see her cry. Otherwise, she'd still be my number one abuser. Or maybe number two, I'm not quite sure.

When I saw Arme cry, I almost felt as if I had to go over and comfort her. But, I was scared to do so. After all. . . well, I like having myself in one piece, thank you very much.

I could hear her yell, through the sobbing, "Why does everyone have to involve me?! I-I'm just a mage, I never a-asked for this, I-I just wanted to learn more about magic!" Poor Arme. She should have realized that being involved in this with others meant that she would be involved, no matter what.

Deciding to try and be brave, despite the danger of getting burnt to a crisp, I inched closer to Arme and kneeled down, until I could almost feel her breath against my face. I was about to try and hold her to me when she suddenly moved. I was afraid of what she was going to do, but that fear was wasted. Arme had simply just pressed herself to me, still crying. I think she just wanted someone to cry on, and that someone happened to be me. Who knows if things would be different if it were to be someone else instead of me.

I could hear Ronan and Ryan go, "Awww." I felt like kicking them, but I was just somewhat worried about what Arme would do to me, but then again. . . She was still crying. And I really doubt she would have done much in this state.

"It's okay, Arme, it's okay," I murmured in her ear while holding her close to me and rubbing her back.

"I-I just w-wish that I didn't ha-have to get involved i-in all this. . ." Arme choked out. Poor Arme, she must have been feeling so stressed. . .

I held her her head close to me, saying softly, "Don't worry, it'll be all right. Just let it all out." Soon, her sobbing had died down to nothing more than a few soft sounds. "You okay now, Arme?" I asked. When I looked down at her, I realized she had fallen asleep.

For some reason, I could feel my face grow hot, as I watched at Arme, just sleeping there, in my embrace. It was. . . kind of embarrassing. But, she looked so cute.

As quietly and as gently as I could, so I wouldn't wake her, I took off my jacket and put it down, before I put Arme down onto my jacket so she would have a soft place to rest. She moved a bit, but didn't wake up.

I could still feel the warmth in my face as Ryan asked, "Now what do we do?"

"Let's just wait for Arme to wake up," Ronan responded. I simply nodded, as Arme started to snore softly.

It must have been a couple hours later or so when I woke up. Arme was awake too, and when she saw I was awake, she asked me a question.

"Ngh. . . What. . .?" I managed to say.

"D-Did I fall asleep?" Arme asked.

I rubbed my eyes a bit, trying to get rid of the sleepiness as I told her she did.

Arme looked at me, but for some reason, she didn't seem so scary, though the words she said were, even if she didn't say them as fiercely as she would've.

"If I find out you did something to me while I was sleeping, I swear I will place multiple bombs in the next place you bathe without you knowing."

Eep.

"I-I didn't Arme, really!" I quickly said. Hell no did I want to get blown up, especially while I was bathing.

Arme semi-glared at me, before saying, "If I find out you're lying. . ."

"No, I really didn't!" I practically yelled out. I seriously wasn't, I mean, how could I?! Arme was sleeping so peacefully, and I, myself, was tired.

It seemed as if Arme believed me, as she went over to Ryan and Ronan, who were asleep with their backs to each other while sitting, and kicked them, and yelled, "Guys, did Lass do anything to me?!"

Okay, guess Arme didn't believe me.

However, the other two didn't hear her.

"Huh?!" Ronan yelled out before he fell over.

"Owie!" Ryan cried out. "I was having a dream that Lire was about to forgive me! Why?!"

"Well, she might, I think," Arme answered. Then Ryan started crying out of happiness and said, "I hope she does."

Turning to Ronan, Arme asked, "What did you dream of, Ronan? Just out of curiosity."

Ronan looked down, and didn't say anything for a bit, but he looked somewhat embarrassed, and his face turned a bit red. Then he started saying "E" a few times, before he started crying, hiding his face with his cloak.

"I envy you, Ryan! Elesis will _never_ forgive me!" Ronan cried out. Poor Ronan, it was that bad? Ryan just patted the swordsman's back in sympathy.

Arme tried to comfort Ronan with her words, which was rare. "I-It's just a dream, i-it doesn't mean much."

Ronan said, muffled, "It was too real. It's bad enough that I dream about this stuff!"

"Well, you don't want to know what _I_ dreamed of. . ." Arme muttered. Then Ryan turned into his wolf form, and while trying to look cute, said, "Ooh, tellustellustellus!" He earned a cold, harsh glare from Arme.

Turning back to normal, Ryan said, "Er. . . maybe it'll cheer Ronan up?" Immediately, Arme said, "Hell no."

I kind of wanted to know, but I also didn't want to get killed just for asking. Ryan, on the other hand. . .

"Just tell us! Please?" Ryan begged.

Arme yelled, "I said no, dammit! It doesn't even have to _do_ with this!"

Whether it was because of Arme's yelling or something else, Ronan started trembling. Arme asked if anything was wrong, but Ronan told her he was fine.

Looking down a bit, Arme said, in a softer voice, "It's still eight weeks. . ."

I whispered to Ryan, "I think he's still recovering from rehab." Ryan just nodded, and then I noticed Arme was staring at us, so I quickly said, "Er, it's okay, Ronan! Let's just go find her and get things over with, right?!"

"I guess. . ." Ronan muttered. Poor guy, he was really down. I heard Arme muttering, "Maybe I should sneak away for now." Before I could do anything, however, Ryan jumped Arme and hugged her, saying, "Will you take us to them now?!"

Arme yelped a bit, before replying, "I can't!" When Ryan asked why, she said, "I promised that I wouldn't take anyone there!" As she said that, Ronan sneezed, and I felt kind of sad. I wanted to find the girls so Ronan would quit moping around.

Truthfully, I felt sorry for him. But sh.

"Can't you just tell us?" I asked her.

"I just said I promised I can't, nimrod!" Arme replied. I knew that, but. . . still.

Then Ryan said, at the moment, the most absurd thing.

"Well, can't you do it for Lass?" he said, pointing at me. Back then, I thought it was the most stupidest idea ever. After all, she didn't care about me. At least, I think she didn't at that moment.

"W-Why Lass?" Arme asked.

When Ryan said, "Oh, I have my reasons," he got kicked by Arme and fell over. Ryan tried again to get her to tell, but she just refused once more. Then Ryan said, "C'mon, look at Ronan!"

As she looked over at Ronan, I muttered, "I'll never get rid of these two heartbroken idiots. . ."

Of course, Arme just _had_ to hear me, because she pointed at me and said, "He just called you two idiots."

Oh man, I was in deep trouble.

I swear I saw Ryan twitch as he said, a bit too cheerily, "That's okay! We're friends!" He then muttered something under his breath that I couldn't hear, but then I saw Arme trying to hold up his ax, swearing under her breath.

"Oh, here it is!" Ryan said, with a malicious smile on his face. He grabbed it as if it was nothing, then he turned to me. "Oh, La-ass!"

Oh crap.

I made a run for it, but fate turned to be against me then as I tripped over a rock.

"No!" I cried out. I heard Arme snickering as Ryan came over to me.


	9. Chapter 8: Cave of Trouble

**Author's Note**: I wonder what's gonna happen next?

--

I must say, even though I was really upset, watching Lass get hurt was still pretty funny. Ryan was beating him up after Arme told Ryan that Lass called him an idiot.

After Ryan was done, I poked Lass with a stick to see how he would respond. He twitched and said, "It hurts. . ."

Ryan muttered something under his breath before he turned to me and said, "By the way Ronan, Lass called you an idiot." Uh. . . okay.

"Excuse me?" I said. I wasn't in the best of moods right now, but if it weren't for Arme, Lass would be a pile of goop right now.

I heard Lass say, "Shit. Invisible Stick!" His footsteps were somewhat loud as he tried to head over to the entrance of a cave.

Apparently the cave was of interest as Arme yelled, "Hey wait! Get your ass back here Lass!" before she sent a Lightning Bolt in his direction. He screamed so loudly, I thought the ringing in my ears would never go away. Lass turned visible again and fainted.

"Great, you did my job for me, Arme!" I cried out, trying to feel a bit happier. Arme swore at me, or maybe at herself, before she used Cure on him to try and heal him a bit. Lass seemed to have felt better, as he quickly hid behind a rock, quite far from me and Ryan.

Ignoring Lass, Arme turned to us and said, "Stay away from that ca-Hey, how the hell did you guys get here anyway?!"

Both me and Ryan said at the same time, "We walked!" Well, it was true. Lass lead us to her, after all. Okay, more like, we ran here, but still.

Lass made a small sound, and both me and Ryan looked over at him. He looked back, a bit scared, then yelled, "Go hump a log!"

"I bet _you _have!" Ryan yelled back.

Arme looked as if she didn't want to be here. "Uhm, okay, I should, uh, be going now. . ."

However, Lass didn't want her to go.

"Don't leave me with those two!" he yelled. Arme looked somewhat hesitant, and soon I had an idea. I whispered it to Ryan, who seemed a bit skeptical about it.

"You sure?" he asked me. I nodded, and both me and Ryan ran behind the rock Lass was hiding behind. Arme most likely puzzled by this.

We both grabbed Lass, who screamed, but we managed to quickly tie him up. Then Ryan and I came out with Lass tied up.

Arme just stared at us for a few seconds before she said, "What the fuck?"

Lass said, "I didn't want things to end like this. . ."

To Arme, I told her, "We're taking Lass as a sacrifice." To this, she asked, "What, are you two barbaric primates now?"

Of course we aren't! I mean, really.

"No, it'll just make you suffer," I answered her, chuckling a bit. I heard Ryan laugh as we ran, Lass screaming the whole time.

I heard Arme say, "Uh. . . okay? At least those morons left."

"Why?!" Lass choked. He was literally getting choked randomly due to the rope.

"Bored?" Ryan said, shrugging.

"I don't know, we never really liked you," I answered jokingly.

Lass didn't think I was joking. "What?!" he cried out.

All of a sudden, I saw Ryan get kicked in the head, and before I knew it, a fist hit me in the face. Damn, I never knew Arme could punch! We both fell over, crying out in pain as Arme said, "By the way, if you two kill him, you're both dead."

Oh, _now_ she tells us that? No, I'm kidding. I think?

I managed to see Arme walk over to the cave, as Lass tried to inch away, yelling, "Stop pickin' on me!" I think Arme called us all morons.

Ryan got up and went over to Lass and sat on his back. However, Ryan turned out to be heavier than we thought as we heard a loud crack. Uhm, crap.

"What the hell was that?" I heard Arme say. I looked over at Lass, who was motionless.

"Snap. . ." I said, my voice all of a sudden small.

"Run for it!" Ryan yelled, so we both ran like hell.

I could hear Arme yell, "Those two morons are so dead!"

I looked back at Ryan and yelled, "Hurry up Ryan!" That was not part of the plan, breaking Lass' back. How the hell was that even possible just by _sitting_ on him?!

Ryan yelled back at me, "I can't run that fast!"

"More like can't. . ." I muttered.

Then, I heard a voice that pretty much scared me. Arme yelled out, "Home of Darkness!"

When the skull hit us, my vision became distorted. My gait became wobbly as I tried to stay balanced, and I knew Ryan was doing the same. Soon we both fell over as we just couldn't stand up any longer. Seeing as how we couldn't really do anything, or so Arme thought, she came over to us.

"What the _hell_ did you two morons _d__o_?!" she yelled at us.

Ryan, stating the obvious, answered, "I sat on his back."

"And you broke his back. . ." Arme muttered. Taking her anger out at us, she used Stone Curse on us. We both ended up petrified for a few seconds as she asked why the hell we did it.

"Torture," I simply said as soon as I wasn't petrified anymore. Arme asked why we were torturing Lass.

And then, our plan came out.

"To lure you!" Ryan cheerily replied.

At first, Arme was confused. "Lure me? From wha-" she started, before she realized that she had fallen into our trap. "Crap," was the only word Arme said to signal that she knew, and she turned to the cave, hoping to run back to it before we could do anything. Of course, she was terrible at running, and before she got far, Ryan tripped her. Arme swore on the way down.

I tried to crawl into the cave, but I got kicked by Arme.

"Ow!" I cried out. "There's nothing to hide from us!" I kept trying to crawl in.

"Yes there is!" Arme yelled. Then she came over and sat on my back. However. . .

"You're too small for that!" I said, before I rolled over her. Arme swore some more and kicked him, causing me to cry out in pain once more. I saw Ryan dash into the cave, causing Arme to keep swearing before she tripped Ryan. He just proceeded to crawl, receiving another kick.

"Out! Now!" Arme yelled. Ryan finally had enough so he turned into a wolf, picked up Arme, and slung her over his shoulder. With her small size and being weak physically, it was easy for us to keep her from doing much now.

"Hey! Let go me of _now_!" Arme screamed. I swear she screams a lot.

"Yeah!" I cried out in happiness, not as a reply to Arme, and followed Ryan in. Then I saw Arme take out her alchemist pot and started banging Ryan on the head with it. I tried not to laugh as I watched Ryan endure the suffering.

"Okay, we're in. . .?" I said in a hushed tone. The cave was fairly lit, despite being hidden from the sun. I had a bad feeling though, and it wasn't because of the looming stalactites that seemed to threaten to fall on us.

I heard some noise and turned to the source of it. It turned out to be Arme yelling something before she stuck a bomb in Ryan's mouth and yelled, "Out out out!"

Ryan immediately spat the bomb out, where it exploded some feet away from us. I heard Ryan growl something, but of course, I didn't understand him. I don't speak wolf, after all. Then he tossed Arme to the floor.

"What are you hiding in here?!" I demanded. The feeling I had seemed to grow even more when I asked that. I almost didn't want to know for some reason.

Arme glared at me before answering, "Nothing! Now get the hell out! I. . . live here!"

All of a sudden, I heard Lass' voice say, "Really?" Apparently he had turned invisible.

"Just get the hell out of here!" Arme yelled.

Deciding not to comply, I ran over to Arme and held her hands behind her back. Ryan decided to hug her feet so she wouldn't be able to kick back. Arme tried to bite someone, and that someone happened to be Lass. He cried out before Arme bit Ryan as well.

"I'm sorry, Arme!" Lass quickly said, before he used his Fatal Fury Tempest on her. I could see the blood drip down as she cried out.

Though heavily wounded, Arme used her strength to speak. "So, going to kill me now? Fine, do want you want, I'm finished anyway. . ."

Lass seemed shocked at what he had done. He seemed frozen to the spot before he said, "I-I can't kill you." Lass' weapon clanked to the floor as it slipped from his grasp. I was quite surprised. Did Lass. . . have feelings for Arme?

"Why's that? You almost killed me anyway. Just finish me off," Arme choked out. Her strength was quickly draining.

I saw Lass' cheeks turn a bit red. It looks like he did have feelings for her.

"Quit. . . hesi. . . tating. . ." Arme struggled to say.

Lass looked at her, saying, "I can't. . . Because I'm falling. . . I-I-I. . . I'm. . . falling. . ." Before Lass could finish, Arme let out a small sound, before she lost consciousness in my grasp. I could see the blood was dripping from her mouth.

"A-Arme!" Lass cried out, catching her as both me and Ryan let go of Arme. As he held her, Arme muttered, "D-Don't. . . go. . . please. . ."

"W-W-What?" Lass asked.

Arme's words were broken up as she tried to speak. All that came out was, ". . . ve. . . u. . ." before she stopped speaking. At first, I thought Arme had died, but I could see that the faint movement of her chest told us that she was still alive, but barely.

Lass shook her, calling out her name, and almost driven to tears, I could tell, before he looked away.

"For fuck's sake, Lass, she's alive!" I yelled. "Stop shaking her before you kill her!" As I said this, I noticed the blood had stopped dripping. Lass hugged Arme tightly. It was as if Lass felt that if he let go, he would lose her forever.

"Well, at least we know one thing!" Ryan said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. I asked him what, and Ryan said, "Lass isn't gay!"

"What?!" Lass cried out, looking at Ryan, turning a bit red. "J-Just because I care about A-Arme, doesn't mean I l-love her!" Well, it looked like he did.

"Fine," I said.

"So he's still gay?" Ryan asked. I just nodded, causing Lass to yell, "I'm not gay, dammit!" Then he took Arme outside and set her under a tree, putting his jacket over her before he went and sat on the other side of the tree.

"We're waiting again?!" both me and Ryan cried out. I didn't want to have to wait _again_ to start exploring this damned cave.

Lass just glared at us, telling us to shush.


	10. Chapter 9: Scarred

My head throbbed pretty badly when I opened my eyes. I was wondering what had happened when I remembered; Lass had almost killed me, but at the last moment. . . He didn't. And I think I said something embarrassing. I'm pretty sure I did.

I looked around, and heard someone moving around. When I looked over, I saw that it was Ronan, who seemed to be having a nightmare.

"El-El-Elesis. . . I'm sorry, ple. . . Don't. . . Kill. . ." he said in his sleep. In an attempt to wake him up, I threw a rock at him, but it hit his foot. He yelled, almost as if he got stabbed. I looked around for the other two, Ryan and. . . and Lass. I saw that Lass was nowhere to be found, but Ryan was in a tree.

"What the hell happened," I muttered. My head hurt badly, and it was causing me to forget things. Soon I remembered again.

Then I heard a loud thump. When I turned to the source of it, I realized it was Ryan and he had fallen out of the tree, waking him up. He seemed surprise to see me awake.

"A-Arme? You're awake?" Ryan asked. Well, no duh I'm awake.

"Your point?" I just said. Ryan looked around a little, before saying, "Lass is missing. . . and. . . he said he had to go somewhere. . . a few hours ago. . . an'. . ." He stopped talking and I was wondering what was up when I realized what had happened.

The moron had fallen asleep, while upside down. I decided to just go back to sleep, but just as I did, I heard someone screaming. It turned out to be Ronan, but nothing else happened, so I went back to sleep.

I woke up unexpectedly a few minutes later when I felt someone squishing me. I kicked whoever it was off and it turned out to be Ronan, what the hell. I yelled at him but then he yelled, "Why did you kill Lass?!" Ronan had looked at me when he said that, and he seemed quite hurt.

However, the news of Lass' death hurt me even worse than it would ever hurt Ronan.

"W-What?! Lass is dead?!" I cried out. I saw Ronan move and was soon accompanied by a glowing orb, and he said, "Why Lass?!"

"What happened to Lass?!" I asked, trying not to cry. Ronan's answer shocked me.

"You killed him!" He was starting to cry now. "Now you'll pay!"

"W-What?! I didn't kill Lass!"

"Let's see about that!"

Ronan began to throw Dust Chips at me. Normally they wouldn't do much to me, but in my state, they stung. I cried out every time the dust chips fizzled, sending their magic through me. He kept doing that, until I finally said, "How. . . can I kill anyone like this? I can hardly move. . ."

Ronan didn't believe me.

"You could have Stone Cursed him to death!"

"But," I said, holding out my hands, "I don't even have my weapons on me. . . I don't even know where he is!"

Looking over at a bush, Ronan said, "He was in my peeing bush!" Ew, what?! Ryan went over to the bush Ronan had mentioned and dragged out. . . Lass. . . who was limp. . . I tried to run over to him, but I fell. Ryan was crying over his body. . .

"L-Lass, pl-please, don't be d-dead. . ." I whispered. Looking over at the boys, I said, "S-Someone, please, give me my staff, I-I'll try to revive him. . ." Ronan tossed my staff over to me, and I picked it up. I muttered the spell, but I realized something. . .

"I-I'm too. . . weak. . ." I said, before I fell over. I heard Ronan sigh, before he used Holy Inferno, bathing everything close to him, including Lass, in a soft, blue light. I looked at Lass, and saw his wounds were half healed.

I didn't want Lass to just die like this, especially not until he knew how I felt about him. Crawing over to him, I whispered, "Please don't die, Lass." Then I gave him a small kiss. I thought I heard him gasp a little, but I wasn't sure if that really was him or just me.

"Lass, don't die," I whispered to him. I glanced over at the boys, and they were looking in awe. Soon, Lass started coughing up blood, but it looked like his energy was fading.

"N-No! Please don't die!" I cried out, before tears started streaming down my face. I heard Lass say softly, "It's okay. . ." Then he held my head close to his chest and kissed the top of my head. He chuckled a bit, but started coughing again. I tried to heal him again, but it wouldn't work, I was just too weak.

"It's no use, Arme, I'm just scarred. . ." Las murmured. "Scars don't heal. . ."

"N-No. . ." I simply said. "Lass. . ."

"It's fine," he said, trying to reassure me. "I just can't fight anymore. . ." No, t-that couldn't be true. . .

"Why?!" I cried out. "Why!" I burried my face in his chest and kept crying. It seemed like it was all I could do now. . .

"My heart's been. . . damaged," Lass struggled to say. Soon I heard Ryan start crying, and I only cried louder. I felt him kiss me again, before he fell asleep.

I felt worn out and tired.

"I feel. . . so useless. . ." I whispered, still crying.

"Uh," I heard Ronan say. "It's okay. I mean, at least he's okay. Well, alive, that is." I felt someone pat my back, and assumed it to be Ronan.

I tried to sleep but it wouldn't come, so I just listened to the other two members of Grand Chase, but before they could speak even one word, I fell asleep.

Why is it whenever I want to do something I fall asleep and when all I want to do is sleep, I can't?


	11. Chapter 10: Back Again

**Author's Note**: Wow, ten chapters. And this one's quite long too!

--

Arme talks in her sleep. Quite a bit, too. Then again, I think most of us do.

"Lass. . . you said you. . . can't fight," Arme said in her sleep.

"Yeah, he did," I muttered in response, even though she wasn't talking to me.

Turning to me, Ronan asked, "Does that mean he has to drop out of Grand Chase. . .?"

"I'm not sure," I answered. Just because one couldn't fight, doesn't mean they had to drop out. . . right? Soon, Arme talked again, still asleep.

"Don't. . . kill her," she said. Kill who? She continued. "No. . . you can't. . ." I saw Ronan lean in, trying to listen. "Can't kill her. . ." were the last words she said before I had to know, so I shook Arme, crying out, "Who?!"

Ronan cried out before he tackled me, knocking me away from Arme.

We both heard her say, "El. . . sis. . . re. . ."

At the same time Ronan cried out, "Elesis?!" I cried out "Lire?!" and Arme screamed, waking up. Then both me and Ronan screamed too, and we both fell over. I saw Arme look at us and say, "What the hell?"

Ronan got up and said, "Arme, what's going to happen to Lire and Elesis?" Arme just looked at him funny and said, "What?"

"You said something in your sleep," I informed the mage. "I did?" she said back. I felt like slamming my head into a tree.

"Who's going to hurt Elesis and Lire, Arme?" Ronan asked.

"I-I don't. . . I don't know," Arme answered.

"Then why is someone going to kill them?" I asked. There usually is a reason to kill someone. Unless it's out of cold blood that is.

Arme didn't say anything for a bit. Ronan put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Arme, it's completely important that you tell us."

Looking a bit annoyed, Arme cried out, "It's just a dream!"

"You sure about that?" I asked, wanting to make sure. Arme yelled, "Yes!" at me.

It seemed like Ronan was getting a bit tired of this as well as he sighed and said, "Well, who was going to in your dream?" Wait, he kind of asked that.

Arme knew it too. "You already asked me that, you stupid Abyss Knight! How did a moron like _you_ even _become_ an Abyss Knight in the first place?!"

Before any of us could respond, Lass started making sounds.

"L-Lass?" Arme called out.

Lass cried out in pain a bit before he said, "M-My heart, i-it hurts. . ." Immediately, Arme crawled over to Lass and asked, "I-Is there anything I can do t-to make it feel b-better?" Arme seemed so worried for the guy she used to attack without mercy.

"Just stay with m-me. . ." Lass whispered, before he started to flail a bit, his eyes starting to glaze over.

"L-Lass? What's wrong?!" Arme cried out. Even I was starting to get a bit worried. Then I heard something, but it was so soft, no one else heard it. No one else, that is, except for Lass.

"Lasssssss. . . I'm back," I heard. Oh man, that voice, it sent shivers down my spine. And I knew why, too.

Lass looked frantic, almost hysterical even, as he yelled, "No, _stay away_!" Arme thought he was talking to her however, and asked, "W-Why?"

I heard the voice again whisper, "Don't worry, you're useless now. I'm just going to dispose of you, like the worthless being you have become."

Arme wanted to try and heal Lass again as she waved her glowing staff over him again, saying, "I-I'm going to try again, okay?" and muttered her spell out.

Lass cried out, not from the spell, but from the voice.

"I-It's too late. . . No!" Lass cried out in pain as he tried to speak. "Ronan, Ryan! Take Arme! R-Run!" Arme cried out, and then. . . And then, the day decided to get worse.

Lass got up, but his eyes. . . they were white, just like when we faced him back in Kaze'aze's Castle, under the control of Kaze'aze. . . He was possessed again.

"L-Lass. . . No. . ." I heard Arme say, voice sounding small. I looked over to see her trying to get up. Not wanting her to get killed by Lass, the person she seemed to have developed feelings for, I ran over to her and grabbed her by the wrist and started to run.

"Reminds me of when we first met," I heard Ronan say. What is he, stupid?! "Yeah, you tried to kill us th-" he started, before he screamed in pain. Turning around, I saw that the possessed Lass had sliced Ronan's arm.

"No!" Arme cried. "I-I c-can't let you do this. . ." She broke out of my grip, then tossed a fireball at Lass, who deflected it, but soon yowled in pain. You can't really do that without getting hurt.

"R-Run!" Arme told me, but I couldn't leave her, could I?

Lass seemed to get back his consciousness, but only for a few seconds as he said, "Ge. . . way. . ." I saw Arme stumble as she tried to run, but Ronan picked her up and ran. I followed suit, but Lass caught up to me, as I was a slow runner. He leaped into the air and sent down bolts of energy at me, his Final Strike. It hurt.

I cried out loudly in pain as each bolt hit me. The voice spoke again as I was yowling in pain.

"That's right, kill them like you tried and failed before. . ." This time, it was loud enough for us all to hear. Arme waved her staff at Lass, sending out a hard-to-see shock wave.

"Stop Lass!" she yelled. I saw it was Stone Curse as Lass froze and became encased in stone.

"The voice. . . it's Kaze'aze," I heard Ronan say.

"J-Just stay. . . still," Arme whispered. I managed to hobble over to the two, glancing over to the petrified Lass.

The voice of Kaze'aze ordered Lass to move and to kill her, her being Arme. Soon parts of the stone started to crack. I wanted to get out of here _now_.

"R-Run!" Arme ordered. "Now! Into the cave, I can seal off the entrance!"

Wait, I didn't want to leave Arme here in her weakened state!

"W-What about you?!" I cried out.

Before Arme could answer, Ronan turned to her and said, "Why are you so eager to get us into the cave _now_?!" This wasn't the time to ask questions anymore, thinking about it now.

"I can easily block anything out of the cave!" Arme answered. "Just get in! Now! I have to seal it b-before Lass can get in!"

I was happy to comply. However, I was a bit weak still from being hit, so Ronan ended up grabbing my collar and dragged me inside, the cave entrance suddenly darkening as Arme sealed it. I heard something crumble and realized that Lass had broken free from his stone prison.

"Go farther in!" Arme commanded. "Take a left, then, uhm, three rights!" Then I heard her say more quietly, "The girls will kill me, but I have no choice."

The girls. . . Lire. . .

I heard Lass yell out Final Strike and loud pounding as the energy hit the sealed off entrance, but it didn't break. Soon Arme dashed in to join us. The entrance must have been made of magic. All of us could hear Lass trying to break through, but the entrance didn't break.

"What's happened?" Ronan asked.

Motioning for us to follow her, and sealing off the paths behind us as we walked, Arme answered, "Lass can't see the cave anymore. . . because of the dark magic that's inhabited inside of him. . ."

Suddenly, I felt like I had to go back and help Lass. I mean, he's our friend!

"We have to go back and help him!" I cried out.

Ronan shook his head while saying, "I don't know. . ."

Before we knew it, Arme fell to her knees and started crying. "W-What can we do. . . He'll kill us if w-we try. . ."

I didn't want to see Arme cry, it just wasn't her.

Putting my hand on her shoulder, I said, "We have to go back and help Lass before something seriously bad happens."

Of course, I jinxed it, when all of a sudden, a loud crash was heard.

Both Arme and Ronan, at the same time, said, "What was that?" Like I knew?

Soon we could hear panting, so both Ronan and I ran to see what happened. And then, I heard someone somewhat familiar, but I only met him once. He was yelling, "He was trying to kill me!"

"Jin?!" I said in surprise. I hadn't expected the red-haired fighter here, of all places.

Jin looked down behind him, and I saw that Jin was dragging Lass behind him.

"He was trying to kill me!" Jin explained. When Arme asked what happened, Jin answered, from outside, "Sorry, he was trying to kill me, so I thrust him against the barrier a little too hard."

"Did you kill him?!" Arme asked, a bit of a threat to her voice.

"I-I don't know," Jin answered.

"If you did, I will kill you," Arme responded back, this time full threat in her voice.

Jin's voice was quivering, most likely from the threat of death, as he spoke. "I-I'm not s-sure if I sh-should say he's a-alive o-or not."

The three of us came out of the cave, shocking Jin at our appearance, but he didn't say anything.

Ronan went over to Lass and performed a Holy Inferno, bathing himself and Lass in a soft light. Arme came over and tried to use her Cure spell, but it didn't work.

"Ugh, I can't do this, I used up the rest of my magic to seal the cave," Arme said. I could hear the sadness and frustration in her voice. Arme never likes it when she feels useless.

Ronan picked Lass up and did a quick check for any wounds. After the assessment, Ronan said, "Lass is fine, but I think he's suffering from damage to his skull. Poor Lass.

"He gets in a lot of shit it seems," Jin muttered. Arme just shook her head sadly, not wanting to think about it.

"First brain control, then outcast from the rest of Grand Chase practically, then this," I thought out loud.

"I don't think he'll be able to be a part of Grand Chase anymore after this," Ronan said. I could tell he didn't really want to say that.

I could tell Arme didn't even want that possibility to be there.

"No! I'd never outcast him!" she cried out.

Jin just randomly said, "Hard to get along with a gay guy." He shouldn't have said that.

I saw Arme glare at Jin, who started inching away and said, "Dont' kill me?" Then Arme picked up a rock and threw it at his head. Jin avoided the rock and hid behind Ronan. I went over to Lass, picked him up, carried him into the cave and said, "Let's tend to Lass' wounds."

I heard Arme tell me to be careful as I walked in. When I turned around to see if the others were coming, I saw Jin try to walk in, but he just ran into Arme's barrier. "Hey!" he cried out. "Stupid barrier." Jin then proceeded to kick the barrier, but cried out in pain as he failed. I noticed Arme snicker. Then Jin took out his pole weapon and repeatedly jab it.

Ronan tried not to laugh as he simply walked in.

"Huh?! Are you just going to leave me like that, Ronan?!" Jin cried out. We ended up leaving Jin out there, oops. I was about to go get him but Arme went out first, grabbed Jin, and dragged him in.

I walked deeper into the cave, turning as Arme had mentioned before, and it seemed to be getting lighter. I found out why, but in a way, it kind of hurt me to find out why, and not in a way that could hurt by blades.


	12. Chapter 11: Forgive Me

**Author's Note**: Later in the story, there will be a character named Sieghart. I don't know his relationship to Elesis, but in this story, he is her father, regardless of who he really is to her. And don't worry, after reading this, don't believe this story is over, not by a long shot.

--

I bumped into Ryan when he suddenly stopped. "Hey wh-" I started, before I saw why. Ryan put Lass down and while he was doing so, I got a better view of the mini-cavern.

It wasn't mini, but it was smaller than this entire cave itself. The cavern was round, and there was a light coming from Arme's lamp, which was in the middle of the room. Near the back of the cavern were some piles of cloth, most likely beds, and on those piles of cloth, sleeping were. . . were. . . Lire and. . . Elesis.

How long ago was it since I last saw her? I felt like I wanted to cry. Why did I say those things to her? _Why_?! I never meant to hurt her so badly. . .

Even from where I was, I could see the noticeable roundness to Elesis' stomach. . . I tried not to think about it, when Arme came in, dragging Jin in by the collar. For some reason, he was smiling like an idiot and I wanted to punch him so hard so badly. Arme kicked the red-haired fighter, almost reading my mind, and he let out a cry of pain.

I couldn't stand being in the cavern anymore, so I walked out into the "hallway". Turning around, I couldn't see inside the other cavern anymore, but I could see Ryan tending to Lass' wounds. Arme came over to me and called my name. When I didn't respond, she stepped on my foot. Ouch.

As I was jumping around, Arme said, "Let's go to another part of the cavern and tend to wounds there." I knew she was trying to get us away, and for that, I was glad, even though my foot was in pain.

"Fine by me," I told her. Arme then motioned for us to come. I could hear Lire make a small sound as she slept.

Then Arme stopped abruptly, with me running into her.

"Wait," Arme said. A little late for that. Ryan looked at her questioningly. I had to back up into the cavern to let Arme in.

"My lamp, it's in here, I need it," she murmured. Arme was going to take the light source?

However, before we could leave the room, I heard someone make a small noise, and then call out my name. It. . . It was Elesis.

Her calling me made me jump a little, before I felt a few tears roll down my cheeks. Elesis spoke again, in her sleep.

"I loved you. . . why. . ." she asked in her dream. S-She was. . . dreaming about the time back then, when I. . . I. . .

"C'mon," I heard Arme say to me. I was frozen to the spot however. I felt so guilty, and ashamed. Not wanting to even meet Arme's eyes, I looked down.

"Please. . ." I heard Elesis say.

I-I wanted to. . . to. . .

Walking over to Elesis, ignoring Arme's words of protest, I knelt next to the girl I loved and brushed away her hair before I kissed her softly on the lips. How I missed seeing her, even though the sight of me would bring her pain, but if I left before she woke up. . .

However, Elesis stopped me from moving by grabbing my hair and kissing me back. I knew she was only dreaming, but it was enough to make me feel happy, even if it was only for a little while. I managed to pull back a little, and she whispered, "Thank. . . you. . ." Thank you? For ruining your life? Sure, why not. . .

I could feel myself get hot with embarrassment.

"Ha, Ronan's stuck," I heard Ryan say through his chuckles. If I wasn't stuck, I would've kicked him _hard_. I heard Arme make a small sound in regard to my situation. Why didn't they help me?! I didn't want Elesis to wake up with me here and possibly say things that would maybe make me wish I weren't alive.

Still, the moment, I wanted it to last, as it was one rare moment that I felt would never experience ever again. I'm pretty sure my cheeks were red as I kissed her again, but not before I whispered, "I love you too, Elesis. . ."

Then came the bad part. No, it wasn't when she said, "I love you too." No, I loved that, even though she was dreaming. Instead, the bad part was that she woke up. Oh my goodness, I wanted to get away, I was practically on top of her. Elesis was trying to get me away, as was I. I could hear Arme snickering. Gee, what a friend.

I yelped before I fell over. My face was so red, so I was trying to bury myself in the floor.

I heard Elesis yell, almost scream, "Why the hell are you here?! Arme!"

"I had no choice, it was either bring them here or get killed _with_ them!" Arme yelled back.

Then I think Lire woke up.

I heard her ask what was going on, and before anyone could answer, Jin just said, "Hi, hi!" I noticed Ryan had turned his head away, in shame most likely.

"Ji-" Lire started, before she saw Ryan. "Ryan. . ." Then she turned her head away from him. When Lire spoke his name, Ryan turned to her and over to her, hugging her tightly so she couldn't really escape, but not enough to hurt her.

"Lire!" Ryan started."

"Let go of me, Ryan!" Lire said, while struggling to break free. Of course, Ryan wasn't going to.

"Lire, please, you need to listen to me," he said to her. I think I knew what he was planning.

"Why the hell should I?!" she shouted.

As this went on, I heard Elesis say, "Did you want something Ronan? Otherwise, just go away." When I looked over at her, but Elesis had turned away from me.

Ignoring us, and concentrating on his own situation, Ryan said, "Lire, I want you to know that I'm sorry. . . I really am, and that I love you with all of my heart."

"Elesis," I said. I was trying my best not to cry. "I'm s-sorry. . ."

"There's nothing to apologize for," she muttered.

"W-What do you m-mean?" I asked.

I heard Lire ask, "What about. . . What about Vanessa. . .?"

"Vanessa doesn't matter! I never cared about her, ever! Compared to you, she's nothing. I just can't stop thinking about you ever since that day. . ." Ryan replied. I hoped Ryan would be able to win Lire back. After all, he cared deeply for the archer and he seemed so hopeless back then, as was I. . .

"W-Well, who's to say that won't happen again," Lire muttered.

Ryan took a deep breath before he asked Lire, "I'm to say. . . Lire. . . Will you marry me?"

Lire looked so surprised when Ryan asked that

I almost missed Elesis' words, as I was listening to Ryan and Lire.

"There wasn't anything to apologize for in the first place. Why did you even come here. . ." Elesis muttered. Of course there was something to apologize for. I tried to speak, but it seemed like my voice decided to hide from me.

I saw Ryan blush and turn away a bit before asking, "Will you?"

Lire seemed so shocked, so speechless, but soon she hugged Ryan tightly and answered, while crying, "Yes! I love you Ryan, and always have, I will marry you!" I have never seen Ryan so happy before as he hugged Lire and started crying as well. "I love you too, Lire, and I always will!" Then Lire gave Ryan a kiss, with him kissing her back in return.

I felt so upset. Would I have such a happy ending with Elesis? Or would it end in disaster, like I fear it might?

I could hear Arme congratulating the now-engaged elves. By now, my voice was found again, so I looked over at Elesis, who was still refusing to look at me.

"Would you believe me, Elesis, if I said that I loved you?" I asked her, my voice small. She moved a little before responding. "You said you didn't. . ."

"N-No, I didn't mean it," I said. I still didn't know why I said what I had. Elesis was the one person I loved so much, and to say I didn't love her? It was ridiculous. Amy was right, why does age matter, we both love each other very much. Or at least, we used to. I was afraid it would become a one-sided love, but I had to try. . .

"Sure you didn't," Elesis said to me.

I whispered her name, before I came over to her, kissed her gently on the lips, and hugged her, tightly. Elesis whispered, "Go away."

"No. . ." I said. I refused to go away now, I just couldn't. "I do love you, Elesis, more than you can ever imagine." My heart felt like it could shatter into a million pieces with the right, or in this case, _wrong_ words, and once that happened, then. . .

"Y-Yeah right," Elesis said in such a quiet voice, I almost didn't hear her. Her voice broke a bit, as if she were trying not to cry. However, I was already crying, and I leaned into her shoulder, watching the tears drip down her neck. Elesis shuddered a bit as both the tears and I touched her.

"I really do, Elesis," I started to explain. "I don't want you to go through anymore pain." Watching the girl I love get hurt easily wounded me like a knife to the heart.

I could feel Elesis shake her head as she said, "H-How do I know t-they're not just empty words!" When I looked up a bit at her, I could see she had started to cry as well.

"I-If you could just look at me, you'd be able to tell," I whispered to her as I lifted my face up. However, Elesis refused to look. Sometimes, I hated her stubborn personality, but most of the time, it was adorable, even if she got into trouble.

"I don't think I could bear to look at you."

I think my heart almost stopped when she said that. D-Does she. . . Does she really hate me that much? I hoped with all my soul that she didn't.

"Y-You don't want to know if I truly love you or not?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Elesis seemed hesitant before she replied, "I. . . I don't know. . ."

"Please, just look at me, Elesis," I begged. I just wanted her to look at me again.

"H-How can I look a-at the person who gets me in this s-state, then t-tells me he d-doesn't love me, that it was like nothing?!" Elesis said, her voice trembling like mine. It seemed like every word she said would pierce me like thorns. She was right, how could she look at the man who got her pregnant, then practically abandoned her?

I got up and moved in front of her, looking at her stomach, so round with a child – _our_ child – and slipped my hand underneath her chin, lifting it up so she could see me. Elesis looked shocked, and so upset, and quickly lowered her eyes, trying to avoid my gaze, before she closed them and said, "Go away. . ."

Looking down at her, I leaned in to kiss Elesis, but she stopped me when she whispered, "How can I believe you. . ."

"I don't know, but you're the only one I've got. . . And I don't want to let you go. I was foolish to have before, but. . ." I answered. Soon, I was plainly crying and said, " I want to show you that I'd die for you, Elesis." If the choice came down to her life or mine, I'd gladly lose my life if it meant that Elesis would be alive.

Elesis started to speak, before she let out a small cry of pain.

"E-Elesis?" I asked, worried. She quickly looked down and said, "Nothing. . ."

"Let me guess, it kicked you again?" Arme asked. I knew immediately what the mage was talking about. I saw Elesis nod, and felt my cheeks grow hot a little.

Then Elesis asked how long.

"Soon, Elesis, soon," Arme simply said. That meant. . . That meant that soon, the child would be gone.

I held Elesis as close as I possibly could without hurting her or the child and kissed her cheek a few times and whispered her name.

"No, go away," Elesis said, but she was hardly struggling.

"Please, Elesis, understand that I love you," I whispered in her ear.

"How can I believe you," she said. "I just can't. . . I think. . ."

Think? Does that mean. . . But if it's only a thought, and nothing more, and Elesis really felt this way, then I had no reason anymore to live.


	13. Chapter 12: End the Pain

**Author's Note**: Oh wow, this chapter has the worst ending to it. I'm sorry about that, I really am. I hope the later chapters make up for it though. See, the thing is, I had to substitute the original ending because I doubt it would have worked out. Once again, I'm sorry, please, after reading this chapter, just forget about the ending of this chapter. I think Elesis has the worst chapters. Hopefully, one of the Kaze'aze inclusions will make a chapter for her work out. I did retain some of how the ending was supposed to be, mainly, Jin's torture. That's what remained the same in the end, but that's pretty much it. The stuff about being drugged was too, but the words were different.

--

I wasn't sure if I could trust Ronan, but at the same time, my heart wanted me to. But, could I? Even though he said he didn't love me so long ago, I still loved him, and it hurt just thinking about him; even the mention of his name brought pain to me. And now, he was here, in front of me. I wanted him to leave me, to never come back, but at the same time, I wanted him to be with me.

The look on his face, it seemed as if he had given up all hope. In fact, it seemed like he had.

Ronan took out his spell sword and placed it in my hands and said, "Kill me."

"W-What?!" I cried out in disbelief. Did he really expect me to kill him?

Apparently he did.

Ronan got down on his hands and knees and said, "You heard me. Kill me."

"R-Ronan!" Ryan cried out. He was as shocked as I was, though I think I was more.

"W-I can't do that!" I told him. There was no way he could expect me to do that. I had never killed anyone (or anything) for no reason before.

"Why?" Ronan asked. "There's no reason for me to live anymore if I don't have your heart. . . Even though I've made it through this far with you guys, I can't bear to live another day with this pain in my heart. . ."

"B-But I can't possibly kill you," I told him.

"Why?" Ronan asked.

"J-Just. . . How could I kill you? How could you even i_ask_/i me that?"

"How couldn't you?"

"How could you think I could even kill you?!" Why did he think I could kill him?

"End the pain, get revenge," Ronan explained. The pain would grow even worse with his death, and revenge never crossed my mind, not even once. "There'll be no one to stop you from getting rid of the child."

"But. . . I. . ." I started. Wait, he said. . . "W-Wait, you. . . were going to stop me. . . from getting rid of the child?"

Ronan nodded. "I guess it's too late. . ." he whispered.

I looked over at Ronan and told him, "The baby. . . I still have it. . . It's not dead yet." Ronan immediately looked up at me and asked, "W-What are you saying?"

"I-I've been. . . I've been having second thoughts on getting rid of the child. . ." I explained. And then I asked, "Ronan, why did you. . . do what you did to me that day?"

I saw Ronan turn a bit red before he passed out.

"R-Ronan?" I called out, quite worried. Something told me that this wasn't a good thing.

"Oh boy," I heard Arme mutter. Lire came over and poked Ronan with an arrow and said, "Up! Now!" Ronan, however, didn't move.

"Ronan, get the _fuck_ up or else!" Arme threatened.

"Ronan, please, wake up," I murmured to him.

Soon, Ronan woke up and said, "I-I'm fine. . ."

"Why did you faint?" I asked.

"I fainted?" Ronan replied. I simply nodded, then I asked him again, my previous question. Then I noticed Jin trying to sneak out, with Arme tripping him.

I saw Ronan looking over at Jin, and something seemed to come back to him.

"J-Jin. . ." he said, as if he was remembering something. "E-Elesis, I-I remember something, but. . . I don't care if you believe me anymore."

Then he came over and held me tightly, so I would have to listen to him. I could feel one of his hands wrap around my stomach protectively, as if he was afraid what he would say would hurt me and the child.

"Jin, h-he drugged us, but we didn't realize it at first," Ronan started to explain. By "we," I think he was referring to Lass and Ryan. I noticed Ryan looking over at Jin as if the elf wanted to tear his guts out.

"I wasn't myself at the time, I had almost no control of my actions, or my words, as if I were in a drunken state. Jin didn't realize how bad it would be, but he told us it would be fine, nothing to worry about, no harm done," Ronan whispered to me, holding me even tighter, as if afraid those words, and the memory, would take him away from me.

However, I wanted an excuse, some excuse to believe the man I love, and I felt something that seemed to say that he was telling the truth, and that he really had no control over himself.

I hugged Ronan tightly as I heard Arme, who apparently heard him, yell, "What the fuck were you thinking Jin?!"

Jin replied, "B-Being spoiled my whole life!" Not the best answer. Looking over at Jin, obviously furious over his selfishness, I saw Arme go over and kick the red-haired fighter right in the crotch. He doubled over in pain as Lire shot an arrow at him, which hit grazed his arm, putting him in even more pain.

"M-May I b-be dismissed?" Jin croaked out.

"Fuck you!" Arme simply responded, before proceeding to attack Jin with magic this time. I saw Ryan go over and perform a Spinning Phantom right in Jin's face. I felt Ronan take an arm off me, releasing me a bit from his hug and summoned his Valkyrie guardian while chuckling a bit.

Well, let's just say Jin would be in great pain for awhile. However, the worse has yet to come, for all of us.


	14. Chapter 13: Unexpected?

**Author's Note**: Wow, short. I started off with Arme, but changed it to Lire for some reason. Can you tell? We're now at 13. Oh dear. It must be a sign.

--

I'll skip the details of Jin's torture. After all, who cares what happens to that half-assed fighter anyway?

I had to wonder, why did Kaze'aze have come back? And how did she even find us? Was she nearby, hiding, waiting to pounce?

Either way, I couldn't worry about that now.

I could hear Lass writhing about in his sleep, muttering and sometimes making small yelps that worried me. It almost seemed as if he was struggling to break free from Kaze'aze's control once more.

Arme, who was comforting Lass at the moment, hugged the white-haired boy, murmuring, "Lass, how I wish I could help you." Then she kissed him, which actually shocked me. I mean, Arme used to attack Lass quite a bit. And Lass used to harass her a lot.

I could hear Jin say, "D'aw, how cute!" Of course, knowing Arme, she would probably just glare at him, causing him to shut up, which Arme did. Jin let out a small squeak.

Then Arme turned her attention back to Lass. She whispered, "Please, wake up and get out of the nightmare. . ."

Lass whispered her name, before he woke up suddenly, screaming. Arme looked shocked, but hugged Lass in an attempt to calm him, to comfort him. Lass looked surprised, before he closed his eyes and held Arme close, whispering her name.

"Are you okay, Lass?" Arme asked.

"I don't know. . ." Lass responded. "I don't think. . . I can fight with you guys any longer."

Wait, what?

"W-Why?" Arme whispered, almost as if she didn't want him to answer.

Lass hesitated a bit before answering, "My heart. . . It's too damaged. . ."

"Ho-How?" Arme asked, pressing her head to his chest, as if hoping to hear the answer from his heart itself.

Looking down at the mage, Lass answered, "Something happened out there. . . I don't know what, but. . ."

Arme gave Lass a hugged, before encouragingly saying, "Don't worry Lass. . . I'll find a way, to fix your heart."

Lass simply said nothing, and rested his head on Arme's head, letting out a soft sigh.

Things seemed so calm, as I rested against Ryan, until I heard Elesis let out a strange sound.

"W-What's wrong?" Ronan asked her.

Elesis almost doubled over in pain, as she answered, voice strained, "M-My. . . st-stomach. . ."

W-Was she. . .?

"What's wrong with it?!" Ronan cried out. "I-Is it the baby?!"

Letting out another cry of pain before answering, Elesis said, "I d-dunno, but it hurts!"

Quickly, even while Elesis was still talking, Ronan practically dragged Arme over, who let out loud cries of protest. However, when Arme saw what was happening, she immediately ordered, "Everyone, get out of here, now!" Almost after Arme told us to get out, Elesis fell over.

I wanted to go over and help her, but I had to go over and get the others out of here.

"What's happening?!" Ronan yelled, almost hysterically. I really wanted our oldest member to calm down. I mean, jeez.

"H-Hello? Help?" Lass called out meekly from the ground. Apparently he couldn't really move yet.

Answering Ronan, Arme said, "The baby's coming, now get the hell out of here! And someone help Lass already!"

"T-The baby?!" Ronan cried. Then he went over to Lass, grabbed him by the foot, and began to drag him out. Of course, being dragged over rocks hurt, as Lass let out cries of pain.

"Be careful with him!" Arme yelled. "And yes, the baby, what do you think, she's just yelling for the hell of it?!"

I was about to say something before Ryan came over to me, picked me up, and walked out. Looking over his shoulder, I saw Jin rolling out of the cavern. I really wanted to know how he could do that despite being wounded.

Ronan followed us close behind with Lass. The Abyss Knight looked so panicked, as if Elesis was dying. I didn't want to think it, but maybe she was. . .

"T-The b-b-baby. . ." I could hear Ronan saying. His voices was quivering so much.

"Shut the hell up, you're going to give me a damn heart attack," Lass muttered.

Jumping out of Ryan's arms, I ordered, "Calm down, Ronan, and everyone, follow me." I then proceeded down one of the numerous corridors of the cave. I could hear the others running after me, and I could even hear Lass say, "Back off!" I wondered what happened but I didn't stop to look back.

Soon I entered a cavern that was slightly more spacious than our previous one.

Sitting down with my back against the wall, I explained, "We usually rest in here, though we sometimes use the other one to sleep in as well. We shall wait here for now."

I looked over at Ryan, who was carrying Lass over his shoulder. Ryan kicked Jin into the cavern, who was loudly protesting, but ignored by my fiancé. Ronan came in soon after, and as soon as he set foot in the cavern, he suddenly fainted.

Lass apparently knew, as I heard him mutter, "Some fourth job you are. . ."

"Jeez, someone get Ronan some water or something," I said. I saw Ryan nod, as if to say that he'd do it, and put Lass against a wall. I pointed over at a hole in the wall and said, "I believe there's some water in there. There's also food, in case any of you are hungry."

I heard Lass groan a bit before saying, "Don't move me so much, I'm not fully recovered yet."

"I'll find some bandages for you soon, Lass," I told him.

"When will it be over?" Ryan asked while getting Ronan some water, making him drink it. I assumed he was talking about the birthing.

"Well," I said. "I'm not quite sure, but I believe Arme will tell us. . ."

Just then I heard Ronan say, "Eeelessssssss. . . is. . . Ellaa. . ."

"Ella?" I wondered out loud.

"Sissssseeee. . . Elsssisssss. . ." Ronan continued.

Uhm, right. . .

"I think he's lost it," Ryan muttered. I agreed with him.

"Bl-Bloo. . ." Ronan said, before he jolted awake, screaming, "Blood!"

I nearly fell over from Ronan's outburst.

Ronan cried out before he practically hugged the closest person to him. In this case, Lass.

"Get off of me! I am _not _a rag doll!" Lass yelled in protest.

Seemingly ignoring Lass, Ronan cried out, "What if she dies because of me?!" Ronan seemed so hysterical now.

"I-I'm sure she won't die!" I said, trying to reassure Ronan. He just kept ignoring everyone, before he let go of Lass and fell to the floor.

I swear this was going to be a long day.


	15. Chapter 14: The News

**Author's Note**: . . . That was fast. And this is short. Can't believe we're already almost to 20 already.

--

Well, I had fallen asleep while waiting. For what? For Arme to come and call us.

Apparently she was sort of hiding, as I could hear her yelp as I started to wake up due to Ronan shouting Elesis' name; however I wasn't sure if the yelp I heard was Arme or not.

When I looked over at Ronan, I saw he looked quite paranoid, and devoid of sleep. How long was it since we entered this cavern? Unfortunately, I had no sense of time.

I could hear Lass say, "Mommeeeeee. . ." When I looked over at him, I saw he had started to hug Ronan's leg. "I don't want to go to little thief schooooooool. . ."

"Dammit!" Ronan yelled out. "Get the hell off of me!" Then he flung Lass upwards, right into the ceiling. Ouch.

As Lass cried out in pain, I could hear someone cry out. That was definately Arme.

"You little asshole!" Lass muttered. Then heard saw Arme. "Arme?"

I was a little groggy at the moment from waking up so suddenly (blame Ronan) and asked, "Ngh, Arme's back. . .?"

Looking around, I didn't see her at all.

"I dunno," Lass said. "I thought I heard her-My God Ronan, you look terrible!"

Ronan simply glared at Lass, as if to say, No duh. Then I saw Arme run over to Lass and hug him, almost as if she came out of thin air. When Lass saw who it was, I saw him blush a bit and say, "Arme, it's you!"

"Are you okay, Lass?" Arme asked.

"I'm fine," he said, looking quite happy she was here, before muttering, "No thanks to Ronan. . ."

I had to interrupt their, uh, "i_precious_/i" simply because I had to know.

"So, how's Elesis and the baby?" I asked Arme.

Suddenly, she went silent, and buried her face in Lass' chest, who looked surprised, before holding her and kissing the top of her head.I glanced over at Ronan, who looked quite aware suddenly. He even seemed a bit frightened, as was I. I had a feeling something bad happened.

Ronan then realized it himself, as he cried out her name and tried to run out. However, Arme kicked her foot out in front of him, causing the Abyss Knight to trip.

"A-Arme. . . Why?!" he asked. I could see the pain on his face, as he wanted to know the fate of Elesis.

"D-Don't go. . ." was all Arme said.

"Please, I have to see her!" Ronan pleaded. I could see Ronan was on the verge of crying.

"N-Not yet. . . She still has to recover. . ." Arme explained.

"Please. . . Please!" Ronan begged. Arme simply told him the same thing. Soon, Ronan started yelling to no one at all, as he pounded his fists into the earth, and then buried his face in his hands.

Walking over to Ronan, I tried to comfort him.

"S-She's not dead, at least. . ." I heard Arme say.

However, Ronan didn't hear her, as he started to hug me, as if I were his parent. The action shocked me a bit, but I patted his back a bit.

Hearing Arme stand up, she said, "I-I'm going to check on her." Then she left. Lass' eyes followed Arme a bit, before he got up and limped over to the two of us.

"Hey, man, it's okay," he said, hoping to help comfort Ronan. I saw Lire get up and follow Arme. Ronan tried to as well, but Jin knocked him over, saying, "Not so fast!"

"This time, I have no complaints," I whispered. If Ronan saw Elesis in a bad state, I think he would simply blame himself. However, Ronan managed to overpower the Fighter, and ran off, with me following.

I believe the image I saw would forever remain etched into my mind.

The cavern that Arme had sent us out of. . . It was splattered with blood, all over the floor. The stench was nearly unbearable. I could see that there was some wrapped up bundle that was near Arme, on the floor. Arme was sitting in front of Elesis, who had a blanket covering her, with her back turned to us. It seemed as if Elesis was asleep, but she seemed so still, I thought at first, she was. . . You know. I couldn't help but notice Lire, who was just standing there in the corner, face expressionless.

After a wave of silence, Ronan broke it, by yelling out Elesis name so loudly, I swore my eardrums shattered. Immediately, Arme looked back, letting out a small yelp of surprise.

"N-No. . . No!" Ronan said in disbelief.

"G-Get out of here!" Arme yelled to us.

"You shouldn't have come in," Lire said, her voice almost devoid of emotion. I could hear the slight tinge of sadness to her voice.

I saw Ronan practically fall over, only to be saved by Jin, who grabbed Ronan's cape and dragged him out. What I didn't know was that Jin had i_also_/i grabbed mine, and dragged me out as well.

Soon, we were out of sight, but I could still here the two girls talking.

"Lire, can you go and bury it?"

"Okay. . . does Elesis know?"

"Yeah, which is why I had to put her to sleep for a bit."

Soon, Lire came out of the cavern, holding a bundle wrapped in a blanket. I didn't want to think about what it might have been. Immediately after Lire came out, I saw Ronan run out of the cave entirely.

"R-Ronan, wait!" Lire cried out.

"I hate not being able to run anymore," I heard Lass mutter.

"S-She's not even dead. . . Just asleep. . ." Lire whispered, before running off after Ronan.


	16. Chapter 15: Don't Do It!

**Author's Note**: I believe. . . the next chapter or two will be boring. *sweatdrop* Sorry if you do find the next one or two boring. I'm also thinking about a new story, on Kaze'aze's past, but I'm not quite sure about it yet.

--

I thought the worst when Ronan ran passed me, and when I followed him, he had ran to a cliff. Then and there, I thought he was going to jump, so I ran as fast as I possibly could and yanked his cape back, yelling, "Don't you dare jump, Ronan!" I almost dropped the bundle I was carrying.

He cried out as he fell backwards, onto his back.

"I wasn't planning to. . ." Ronan said, making me feel a bit relieved.

"Good!" I said. "You'd have hurt Elesis even more than when you told her you didn't love her."

Getting up, he looked down and sighed a bit and said, "I guess. . ."

"Why did you run here?" I asked him, curious, if he wasn't planning to jump.

Looking up at me before answering, Ronan said, "Well, I just wanted to get the hot air out. Nothing better than to yell at other than oblivion." Good point, it always felt good to just yell. Even if you lost your voice for a couple days doing that.

"Just don't jump!" I told him, as I walked away. I could hearing him yelling as I looked for a good spot to bury the. . . the bundle. It took me awhile to bury it, but I managed to finish and head back. When I entered the cavern the boys were in, I saw Lass was lying on top of some bandages.

Ronan turned to me when I came in. He looked as if he had been through some mental damage. In fact, he did.

"Ronan. . ." I said, but he just looked away, slumped against the cavern wall.

I heard Arme come in behind me, and she saw Ronan as well, as she softly said his name. He only looked at her, without a word.

"She's. . . awake. . ." Arme said, before she fell over.

"A-Arme!" Lass cried out, as he tried to get up. However, Jin held him back.

"Come on, Lass! You're hurt," he said.

Ronan went over to Arme and held her up as Ryan took her, before he walked out. Making sure he didn't get into any trouble, I followed. Ronan ended up going into the cavern Elesis was sleeping in. I decided to stay out of sight.

Before long, Ronan fell to his knees and began to cry. I soon heard someone say his name, but it was so soft, I thought it was just my imagination. Then I heard it again, this time a bit louder, and I realized it was Elesis. Looking over at her, I saw that she had reached a hand out to Ronan, as if trying to get to him, but too weak to even get up.

Ronan got up quickly and went over to Elesis and held her tightly, crying out her name, still sobbing.

"Don't. . . cry. . ." Elesis whispered.

"This is my fault. . ." Ronan choked out. "I'm s-so s-sorry, Elesis! I'm s-so sorry!"

"No. . . it's. . . not. . ." Elesis said.

Ronan just kept crying. As he was crying, Elesis managed to heave herself up and hugged Ronan.

"I'm sorry. . . that I put you through this pain. . ." Ronan apologized, putting a hand on Elesis' stomach.

"It's. . . It's okay. . ." she said, giving Ronan a kiss as he fell asleep. Then Elesis fell asleep on top of him.

Leaving the two alone, I went back to the other cavern to check up on the boys and Arme.

"Aaaaarme!" Lass was crying out. He broke free of Jin's grasp and ran over to Ryan as he set Arme down. Lass picked Arme up and held her tightly, as she opened one eye.

"La-ass. . .?" Arme whispered.

"A-Are you alright?" he asked her. I swore I saw a sweat drop on Lass' face as he asked.

Arme simply nodded.

Kissing her softly, face a bit red, Lass said, "Good. I don't want my first and only love to be hurt. . ."

Turning red herself, Arme simply said, "Lass. . ." before she reached up to hug and kiss him back.

Later, Ronan came in with Elesis, who seemed to be looking a bit more like herself again. I only had half my attention on the conversation that was going on, but when the two came in, I heard Jin say, "Yep, ever since I drugged you."

"I'll kill Jin," Elesis said. The way she said it sent shivers down my spine. I noticed that Lass had backed away from Jin, as if he were a bomb or something.

"Jin, you're _dea_-" Elesis started, heading in Jin's direction, before she tripped. Apparently, she wasn't at full strength yet.

"Uh-oh," I heard Arme say. Uh-oh was right.

Jin ran over to Elesis quickly and caught her. . . by the chest.

It was so silent. I was a bit scared.

". . . Okay, you are _so_ dead!" Elesis screamed, at the same time Ronan yelled, "Get off of my Elesis like that, bastard!" as he took out his Tyrfing.

Needless to say, there was a bit of, uhm. . . fighting.

"Can I go home now. . .?" Jin croaked after his beating.

Arme answered, "Well, this cavern _is_ cozy." I saw Lass, who was standing next to Arme, turn a bit red.

When I looked over at Ryan, he seemed to be making faces for some reason.

"That's scary," I commented.

Ryan said, "It's not _that_ scary."

"Yes you do," Lass said.

I glared at Lass and kicked him. Then Arme came over and kicked me.

"Watch it!" Lass exclaimed when I kicked him. Then he went over and kicked Ryan for no apparent reason. Ryan then took one of Lass' daggers and glaring at Lass, yelled, "Do you want to die?!" Lass screamed.

Arme held up her staff, which was now glowing, and said, "Don't you dare touch him." Arme's power was frightening sometimes. Ryan dropped the dagger, which Lass then quickly snatched up before running from Ryan.

"Does anyone notice anything strange?" Jin suddenly asked. Well, I, for one, didn't notice anything strange. Until I realized that someone was missing. Well, two someones, that is.

"Wait, where's Elesis?" Lass asked.

"And Ronan!" Ryan added.

Then I heard a voice from the corner say, "Right. . . here?" It turned out to be Elesis. Where did she run off to? And how did she come back without us knowing?

Then Ronan ran in. When did he leave? Either way, Ronan then walked over to Elesis, who had decided to take a nap just then. Sitting down beside her, he fell asleep as well.


	17. Chapter 16: A Bit of Lust and Violence

**Author's Note**: Awesome, chapter 16 is now here. Why is that awesome? Uh, I dunno.

--

I was actually feigning being asleep. Well, not really. I just couldn't sleep, but my eyes were closed, so the others probably thought I was. Especially. . . Especially Ronan.

I felt him sit down beside me and soon he fell asleep. Still pretending to be asleep, I snuggled closer to Ronan, who then wrapped his arms around me. Feeling a bit playful, I licked his face.

I heard Arme say, "What is she, a puppy?" When I peeked open an eye, just a little, I saw Ronan blush a bit, then kissed me. He also kicked Arme, who cried out. I smiled a bit.

"Asshole!" Lass cried, before kicking Ronan's back. Ronan twitched a bit. I looked over at Lass, and seeing as how he was in kicking distance, I did the inevitable; I kicked him. Then I got up and chased Arme, who, of course, ran.

Then I walked back to where I was, feeling quite tired. Before I knew it, I fell over, and was caught by Ronan. Maybe it was a bit too soon to be running around, for me.

"Note to self; don't run so soon after giving birth," I muttered. Ronan apparently heard me, because when I looked up at him, he seemed kind of sad, but he hugged me, and gave me a quick kiss. All of a sudden, I wanted something from him. I don't know how to describe it, but it was tugging at me.

Looking up at Ronan, I whispered, "Ronan. . .?"

"Elesis. . .?" he whispered back.

All of a sudden, I felt the embarrassment hit me, as I quickly blurted out, so fast, "Iwanttotryhavinganotherchildwithyou." Then I buried my face in Ronan's chest, I was so embarrassed.

I could hear Lire say, "Oh boy. . ." Peeking up a bit, I saw Ronan's face was red, probably from my question. Then he simply smiled and rubbed the back of my head as he whispered, "I do too. . ."

Then Lire immediately said urgently, "Uh, I'll just. . . I'll just go find Arme!" I heard the sounds of hurried footsteps soon fade away, soon being followed by more footsteps.

Quickly, I turned around, and saw Jin, who simply had a big, stupid grin on his face as he said, "I think I'll stay!" I simply stared at Jin, who was immediately attacked by Ronan. Jin then ran out, crying out in pain.

"E-Erm, I w-wasn't expecting that," I told Ronan. Looking over at him, Ronan started to blush a bit, and I did too, as we both knew what was going to happen next.

And because of that, I'll skip what happened.

Simply put, Lire came in sometime later, as both me and Ronan were sleeping next to each other, worn out from. . . Well, I won't say. But I could faintly hear Lire come in. I knew it was Lire, as I heard her mutter something. She was soon followed by Ryan, who simply said, "Huh?"

"I. . . wonder what those two were up to," Lire said.

"I try not to," Ryan answered.

Soon, Lass came in.

Not noticing him, Lire wondered, "Do you think. . ." That was when I actually woke up. Seeing the others in here, in the state that me and Ronan were in, well. . .

"Oh sh-" I started, before I looked around for my clothes. I think I was sitting on them. Then Arme came in, just as Ronan woke up, who cried out after seeing the others in the cavern with us.

"Guys, where's L-Never mind," Arme said. Then Jin came in, apparently quite. . . ecstatic. I could just feel the heat.

Ronan started to scramble for his clothes, while I tried to hide under the blanket the two of us were sharing. Then someone shoved a cloak and shirt to me, and I realized it was Ronan. I simply hid myself with the clothing as I started to search for my clothes again.

"Uh, I'll just go let you two get dressed," Arme said, before she walked out. Lire grabbed Jin by the hair and walked out with him as he yelled, "B-But I saw. . ." He didn't get a chance to finish as Lire kicked Jin to silence him, which I was glad about.

Whoever else was left in the cavern quickly departed, leaving just me and Ronan alone once more.

I think that we should have gotten dressed before we dozed off.

Ronan came over to me and gave me a quick kiss before he put on his clothes. I let out a soft giggle, which was somewhat unlike me, before I tried to get dressed before I realized something.

"Where's my shirt?" I asked, not being able to locate it. And then Jin just had to come in while we were still trying to get dressed. He yelled, "Are you done yet?!"

I just yelped before throwing my shoe at him and yelled, "Get out of here you bastard!"

Jin managed to dodge the shoe, but Ronan, tyrfing in hand, ran at the red-haired fighter, and immediately chased Jin out.

Glad the nuisance was out once more, I continued the search for my shirt, while holding my cloak to me. Where did it go?

"Can't find it," I muttered.

Ronan immediately accused Jin of stealing it.

And then, as if on cue, Jin came back in with my shirt around his head. I stuck my foot out in front of him, and seeing as how he couldn't see with my shirt covering his eyes, he tripped. While he was on the ground, I grabbed my shirt and yelled, "Get the fuck out of here now, Jin!"

Jin simply looked up at me, and I realized it was because I didn't have my shirt on yet, but what was there to see? I had my cloak to cover up with.

While Jin was trying to get a good view, Ronan, without having put on his shirt yet, dragged Jin out, who cried, "I want to see!"

"No!" I yelled. Stupid pervert.

Once he was gone, I quickly put my shirt back on. Soon Ronan came back in, and was putting his shirt on.

"You're so hot without a shirt on," I said in a soft tone, while looking at him.

"Huh?" Ronan asked, apparently having heard me.

A bit, er, mesmerized, I said, "What?"

"Did you say something?" he asked.

"N-Nothing!" I cried out, trying to hide my embarrassment.

Soon Arme came and immediately asked, "Hey, I saw Jin come in with something on his head, but when he got dragged out by Ronan, it was gone. What exactly was that?"

"N-Nothing," Ronan answered.

"Y-Yeah, it was nothing!" I said.

Before Arme could say anything else, the others came in, including. . . Jin.

Glaring at him, I kicked him right where it hurt. Jin fell over, of course. I felt something inside me stir, and I took out my sword.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Jin cried out, a bit hysterically.

Ignoring him, I tried to stab Jin, but Rona stopped me. Seeing as how I couldn't hit him, I yelled out, "I hate you Jin, go rot in a ditch already!"

"Elesis, listen, we can't have another disabled member in here!" Ronan murmured to me, glancing over at Lass as he said that.

I simply tossed my sword as I said, "Fine."

"I think you're becoming more violent than me," I heard Arme mutter. As Ryan cried out in surprise as my sword flew past him, I yelled out, "What was that, Arme?!" I felt some odd, red-hot anger boiling inside of me. It was why I was lashing out, but I wasn't sure what it was even. It almost felt as if it wanted me to become angry, to let my emotions overcome me.

Well, Arme slapping me didn't help at all. As soon as she did that, I lunged at Arme, trying to attack her, trying to. . . rip her heart out? That wasn't right. I may be violent, but I wasn't so violent as to try to attack and _kill_ my own friends!

"What's gotten into you Elesis?!" Arme cried out while backing away from me. Indeed, what _had_ gotten into me?

Ronan immediately grabbed me, holding me back.

"Let me go!" I cried out. I wanted. . . I wanted to. . . to what?

Arme came over to me, without any signs of fear showing at all, and poked me with her staff. What was Arme trying to do, provoke me?! I simply yelled, trying to get at Arme.

"Elesis! What's happening to you?!" Ronan cried out, a bit worried. If only I knew the answer to that question myself.

"What the hell. . ." Arme simply said.

"You're dead Arme!" I yelled at her.

The last thing I saw was Arme whacking me on the head with her staff so hard, I blacked out.


	18. Chapter 17: Possessed

**Author's Note**: Oops, it's short this time. Sorry. But guess who's back? . . . Again. Oh and I'm quite well aware that this chapter name is almost identical to a previous one. Oopsies on my part.

--

Elesis is normally not a violent person.

Okay, that's a lie, she _is_ but she doesn't try and _kill_ us, of all things! I knew something was wrong when she tried to attack me. I had to knock her out, or she might've killed one of us. . .

"Okay, there," I said to myself as Elesis fell unconscious.

"Was that really necessary?" Lass asked. Of course it was.

"Yes," I said. "Also, my staff was reacting to some dark magic. And there is a lot, concentrated in one area; Elesis."

"I-Is she going to be okay?" Ronan asked.

"Well, something infected her, I believe," I simply answered. "And no, Ronan, it wasn't from you two making love." I could see Ronan turn a bit red from what I said.

Ryan looked at me with a curious look in his eyes and asked, "What is it?"

Not answering, I tried to think for a bit. Well, it was possible the dark magic was from Lass. I poked Lass, who let out a small cry, but my staff didn't do anything, so it wasn't him. It was definitely Elesis.

Then some voice in my head ask, "Is it me?!"

"Who the hell is this?!" I said aloud. Apparently the others heard this voice as well.

"Your conscience!" it said.

"Uh, ignoring the conscience. . ." Ryan said. "I believe it may be Jin."

Then something occurred to me.

"You know, we never fully defeated Kaze'aze yet," I realized.

I noticed that Ronan was glaring at Jin. Then Ronan took out his tyrfing, causing Jin to back away from the Abyss Knight quickly.

And then, I heard this voice. It was odd. At first, I thought it was just me, but then, as I looked at the others, I could tell that they heard it too.

"Kill. . . them. . ." it said. "Kill. . . them. . . all. . ."

As it spoke, I heard Elesis start to wake. However, I had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling.

"What's that voice?" I whispered.

"Obey me. . ." it continued, "and destroy them. . ."

I heard a thump as something hit the floor just then. Turning around, I saw that Lass had collapsed. I was really worried now. I turned over to Elesis, who seemed to have woken up. What I saw scared me the most. Her eyes, they were. . . they were white.

"Y-Yes. . ." I heard Elesis whisper, as she picked up her sword.

"It's fucking Godzilla!" Jin screamed. Then Elesis swung her sword at him, but he ducked.

"W-What's going on?!" Lire asked, quite frantic.

"Die. . ." Elesis simply said.

"What?!" Jin cried. "I'm sorry, sheesh! Just don't kill me!" as Ronan cried at the same time, "Elesis, no!"

"I shall. . . have my revenge. . . on you worthless humans. . ." Elesis said in a rough voice. Then she turned to Lass. "And I shall. . . start by. . . disposing of you. . . worthless vassal." Then she attacked Lass. However, Ryan intercepted the possessed Elesis with his ax.

"Stop!" I cried, even though I knew it was worthless. However, I cast a Stone Curse on Elesis. Bad thing, though, was that it seemed to have no effect.

"Do you think. . . that can stop me?" Elesis said, with a sneer, before she turned her sword to me. I quickly dodged the blow; however Ronan got in the way. In fact, he grabbed her and held her tightly, saying, "Elesis, please stop!" Was Ronan an idiot?!

"Foolish. . . mortal. . ." Elesis said. "Out of my way!" Then she shoved Ronan aside. Apparently, she wanted to kill me first. She confirmed me suspicions when she said, "The mage. . . shall die." Then she charged at me.

However, I manged to teleport through her, a little trick I liked to use whenever faced with an attacking monster and I couldn't attack, myself. I could hear Elesis stumble, her sword clanking to the floor.

"That that," I heard Elesis say. Quickly turning around, I saw the dark sphere she had thrown towards me, so I whacked it with my staff, causing it to disintegrate into the air.

Then I saw a chain wrap around Elesis' ankle. Apparently Lass had gotten up. He tugged the chain hard, causing Elesis to fall over. However, it turned out to be a bad idea.

"You. . . dare?" she hissed, as she grabbed the chain and sent bolts of electricity through it. They traveled along the chain to Lass.

"You remember my power, Lass, when I had you, don't you?"

Lass didn't hear, most likely, as he was crying out in pain, and he was saying something about his heart. I almost felt as if those bolts of electricity had gotten me instead, as I watched Lass. And indeed, I did feel those bolts, as I cried out "No!" and fell on the chains to break the current. It worked, but the electricity came to me instead. The pain was terrible and immense, and I screamed.

"Foolish mage," I could hear Elesis say, "then you shall die!"

I could hear Lass call my name but I could barely hear him. Already my consciousness was drifting.

"R-Run. . . everyone. . ." I managed to say, weakly. "B-Before sh-she goes after y-you!"

I think either Lire or Ryan cried out "No!" but I wasn't sure which. Maybe it was both of them.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the pain stopped, and I drifted into unconsciousness.


	19. Chapter 18: Possessed Fight

**Author's Note**: Soul Effect is the actual name of Ryan's Sentinel skill, it only sounds like Soul Impact. And long chapter, folks, sorta!

--

Okay, this wasn't good. Not good at all. I saw Arme fall unconscious from the electricity. Hopefully she'll be alright!

I looked over at my love, Lire, hoping that I can defend her. She shot an arrow at the possessed Elesis, who dropped the chain to deflect it. Looking over at Ronan, I saw he was frozen there, the moron. Then Lass seemed to start to faint.

"Lass, now is _not_ the time!" Lire shouted. "Take Arme and run!"

I decided to try and buy Lass some time, and perhaps the others as well, so I ran close to Elesis, but not close enough for her to hit me. Gathering up energy, I released a shockwave, the radius quite a few feet around me, my Soul Effect.

Elesis was caught in it, and the force of the Soul Effect sent her into the wall. I heard her cry out in pain as she made contact with the wall. Lass seemed to snap out of it, as he ran over to the unconscious Arme, picked her up, and ran out of the cavern.

"Ronan, run!" I heard Lire yell. "Jin, grab Ronan and run! And no funny business!"

Then I heard Elesis. How did she recover so quickly?!

"Not so fast. . ." she said. When I looked over, I saw Elesis gather up a ball of fire in front of her. I recognized that skill. It was one Kaze'aze had used on us, back when we first faced the Queen of Darkness in her castle. . . The heat was so immense, I thought I was going to fry.

Elesis threw the ball of fire to. . . to. . . to my Lire! Lire kicked Jin out of the way and then ducked out of the way, but I heard her cry out in agony as it grazed her. Just hearing Lire in pain made my blood burn! How dare this. . . this. . . this witch!

I saw Lire collapse, and felt the heat grow more intense.

"Put up your fists!" I heard Jin say. I ran over to Lire, and turned, to see Jin facing Elesis, who put up her hand. Then she shot out bolts of electricity at Jin, who got hit, and fell unconscious. It didn't seem like he got badly hurt, however.

"Cheater!" Ronan cried.

"Hm?" Elesis looked over at Ronan. "Do you wish to die next, fool?" Before anyone could make a move, I saw a flash of pink and then a projectile fly through the air, aimed for Elesis. However, she simply knocked the projectile away, a rock.

"E-Elesis. . ." I heard Ronan say.

"Thought that would do anything to me?" Elesis said to the pink. It was Amy.

"No, but. . ." Amy raised her hand up into the air, and summoned a plethora of musical instruments that fell on top of Elesis. She was immediately buried.

But Ronan. . . Oh, Ronan, he was a fool! Ronan cried out, knocking Amy away and started digging through the instruments. And then. . . a sword came out from the instruments and pierced Ronan's chest.

"Foolish human."

"No, Ronan!" I heard Amy scream.

"You letting your feelings get in the way was your biggest mistake, Royal Guard Master," Elesis stated, coming out from underneath the musical instruments. She moved her hand that held her sword towards Ronan's heart, a little at a time.

Lire, Jin, Amy, or I could move, could do nothing but watch. We all knew that if we did, Ronan's life could end, but it was going to come to an end anyway.

"Elesis. . ." Ronan chocked out, before crying out from the pain.

Elesis smiled, such a wicked smile, and said, "Anything you wish to say before I slice through your heart?" Then something odd seemed to happen to her. It seemed as if Elesis were struggling. Struggling against what?

"Ngh. . . Ro. . . nan. . . No. . ." Elesis said.

"Elesis. . . please. . . stop. . ." Ronan said, his voice weak.

Amy decided this was her chance, as she leaped high into the air, and crashed down upon Elesis, feet first. Her Amy Kick. I knew how much it could hurt, as I was once on the receiving end of it when I made the mistake of calling her a pumpkin-face as a joke.

The force of the Kick sent Elesis flying. Her head hit the wall, immediately knocking her out. Then Amy took out her violin and ran over to Elesis and whacked her several times with the instrument. Was Amy trying to kill Elesis now?!

Ronan collapsed, as Elesis wasn't holding the sword anymore. I saw the blood pool around Ronan, as if it were a virus, spreading so much, so fast. . . I was afraid that. . . that. . . that Ronan would die!

"Regain yourself, Elesis!" Amy screamed. "Now! Or do you wish for Ronan to i_die_/i because of you?!" Then Amy took out this water of a peculiar color. What was that? And where did she get her hands on it?! It looked vaguely familiar. When Amy dumped the water on Elesis, I remembered what it was. It was used to dispel evil spirits, but it was hard to find this water.

Where did Amy find the water?!

The water did its job, however, as I heard that strange voice again. It made some funny noises before it said, "I'll be ba-ack!"

"Ronan. . . Elesis. . ." I heard Amy say. Her voice sounded weak. "I-I feel so useless now. . . I can't heal the either of you, I used too much strength. . ."

I came over to Amy.

"No, don't think you're useless, Amy," I reassured her. "You possibly just saved both of the two from death!"

"B-But Ronan. . . he's going to die with that wound!" she cried out. Amy may have been right about that. . .

Soon the pink-haired wonder fell to her knees and began to sob. I simply patted her back, telling her that she did her best.

The sound of Elesis' voice made me jump a bit. I wasn't quite sure she was freed yet.

"Ro. . . nan. . ." I heard. "I'm. . . sor. . . ry. . . For. . . gi. . . ve. . . m. . . e. . ."

Amy quickly looked up and asked, "A-Awake?" Then she looked over at me, almost desperately, and cried, "You have to help Ronan now! H-He's going to die!" Well, I already knew that! But what could I do? What could I. . . I got it!

I ran over to Ronan and ripped some cloth off from my shirt. First, I had to stop the bleeding, at the very least.

"El. . . s. . .?" I heard from Ronan.

"This is Ryan, you idiot!" I said. "Don't move you'll. . ." The wound had gotten a bit bigger. Crap.

"Stop moving!" I told Ronan. "Elesis. . . She's fine! Just stop moving!"

Ronan seemed reassured. However, I could see the light disappearing in his eyes. He. . . No, this had to work. I had to take the risk. I gathered up the strength I had to use Resurrection. I rarely used it, as no one ever came this close to death. And this wasn't going to be at full strength, so there was a chance it would fail, but that chance, I would have to take. After all, Ronan's life was on the line!

Just as I used the Resurrection and Ronan's eyes closed, I could hear Elesis crying out in pain.

"Can't you help Elesis, Amy?!" I asked.

"I-I can't. . ." Amy answered. "I don't think I can do anything. . ."

Great, just what I needed.

"I used up all my power to keep Elesis from killing Ronan!" Amy explained.

"All for naught now," I muttered. Then Amy started sobbing. Again. How many times could a girl cry in one day?!

"Don't worry, this. . . has to work!" I hoped I was right. I watched Ronan, as the effects of my Resurrection soon disappeared. "Didn't I do it?! Ronan!"

Then I heard a loud, ear-shattering scream.

"You're going to kill Elesis, Ronan! Come baaaaaaaaaack!"

Just as I was about to yell at her, I heard coughing, and then the splattering of blood. Turning around, I saw blood coming out of Ronan's mouth, as he coughed. Amy let out a yelp.

Ronan grabbed me as he opened his eyes. He pulled me down close. I could feel my ear get wet from the blood Ronan was covered in.

"Am. . . I'm. . . Alive. . .?" Ronan whispered coarsely. His grip started to loosen a bit, and I could hear a small choking sound coming from him as tears dripped down his face. He was crying!

I simply stared at my comrade, before I started laughing. I wasn't laughing at him, but, I was just so happy. "Yeah, you are, Ronan. You are."

Then Amy started crying (again). "Y-You're aliiiiiiiive!" Ronan made a face as she said it. I swear my brain would crack from the noise Amy was making.

"Oh Elesis will be so happy you didn't die!" Amy continued.

"I-Is. . . she okay?" Ronan asked. I looked over at Elesis, who seemed fine, and unconscious.

"W-Well. . . I think she is. . ." Amy said. "D-Did I kick her too hard?"

"I think she'll be fine," I said. "But for now. . ."

In ten minutes, everyone was conscious, wounds bandaged, and in the cavern. Oh, and Elesis was in a wooden cage, unarmed. We weren't taking any chances. . . I think.

Elesis soon woke up.

"So you're awake!" I said, loudly, so the others could hear.

"What happened. . .?" Elesis asked. "And my head, it hurts so much. . ."

"Sorry," Amy apologized.

"You tried to kill us," Lass explained.

Elesis looked up with a surprised look on her face. "I-I did? All I remember was that I got really mad. . . Then I blacked out."

"Well, Kaze'aze took you over," I told her.

"What?!"

"Yeah, she went inside your body," Lass said. "And touched you." I glared at Lass. "Uh. . . well, Ronan died."

"W-What?! No!" Elesis cried. She practically fell over, crying.

"I'm right here," Ronan said, weakly. He was on the ground, bandaged up.

"R-Ronan?"

"Yeah. I died."

"And then I resurrected him," I said, with an edge of annoyance.

I saw Elesis look at Ronan, almost as if she couldn't believe it.

"D-Did. . . I do that. . .?" she whispered.

"Yes. . ." Ronan whispered back. Then Elesis fainted. Ronan, alarmed, tried to move over to where Elesis was, but instead, the idiot tore open his wound. Both me and Lass ran over to Ronan.

"Are they okay?!" Amy asked, quite worried.

"Well, Elesis is fine, just a bit shocked," I explained. "But Ronan tore open his wound again." Lass then proceeded to rip the bandages off.

"Why'd you rip his bandages off?!" Amy asked. I think Amy was asking too many questions.

"I have to replace them and restitch him," Lass answered, as he dug around for some materials. I hadn't watched Lass stitch Ronan up, and I certainly didn't want to now.

Meanwhile, I went over to the cage Elesis was in and tried to help her up, despite the fact she was in the cage. She was definitely unconscious. I fanned her a bit with my hand.

I could hear Ronan groaning, and telling Lass he was fine, but we all knew he wasn't.

"You're not," Lass said. "We can't have another one like me running around here, getting their hearts damaged. . . Emotionally and physically." He said the last two words softly. Ronan looked away, muttering, "Sorry."

"It's fine," Lass told Ronan. "Besides, kind of late to apologize now, eh?"

I heard Arme say, "Can't fight back. . . hm. . ." Was she still asleep? I looked over and saw that she was.

"There, I'm done," Lass said. "Ryan can bandage you back up." I went over to Ronan and wrapped him up in bandages.

"Thanks," Ronan said, sighing a bit.

Lass walked over to Arme, and checked to make sure she was fine.

"Arme, I'm sorry I couldn't. . . Protect you. . ." Lass said softly, before he started to cry. Poor Lass, he did his best, but I didn't say anything.


	20. Chapter 19: Black Magic and Amnesia

**Authore's Note**: Sorry to say, this chapter was supposed to be up yesterday. However, I had to leave unexpectedly and had no time to put it up. However, I do put this up on my deviantART account first, as it's faster and I don't really have to edit it, except for typoes.

--

Dreams are a powerful thing. They shouldn't go unignored, and can even be dangerous. This would prove to be true, later on. Much, much later.

Right now, it seemed as if Arme was having a dream right now.

"Not so tough now. . ." she said.

"Arme?" I asked.

"Die. . .!"

I was definitely listening. I was a bit worried, too. Then Arme started to wave her fist a bit, almost as if she were using her staff. In the process, I got hit on the head, so I backed away from her a bit. Then she muttered a spell, which scared me a bit, but then I realized that without her staff, the spell did nothing. Arme's hand soon dropped back down, and she started to snore lightly.

Coming over, I poked Arme in the side gently. "Are you trying to kill someone in your sleep?" I asked.

"Die already. . ." was her response.

"Who?" I asked. Arme simply waved her hand again, but this time I ducked.

"You. . . dare. . . do that to Lass, bitch?" she said, before kicking her foot out.

". . . Elesis?" I asked.

"What?" Elesis asked.

"Did Arme try to kill yo-" I started, before Arme kicked me. "Ow!"

"What?" Elesis asked. "Uh, I don't think so." Then she kicked the bars of the cage, muttering, "Lemme out. . ."

I took Arme's staff, which was on the ground pretty close to her, and poked Arme with it. She woke up immediately.

"Let me out!" Elesis said, again.

"Only if Arme doesn't detect anything fishy!" I told her.

Arme went over to Elesis, staff in hand, and stuck it in her face. The staff was glowing.

"Hm, my staff detects some sort of black magic," Arme explained.

Elesis tried to get the staff out of her face.

"What do you think?" I asked Arme.

"Well, there's dark magic, I know that much," she said.

"It's not me!" Elesis protested. "I can't even _use_ magic!"

"I bet she has a parasite in her," I said jokingly. "Called. A. Zygote."

Elesis looked at me blankly, before asking, "A what?" I could see Arme was trying not to laugh.

"A fertilized egg," I explained. Elesis turned a bit red before she said. "W-What?!"

"A baby!" I practically yelled.

"I know that!" Elesis practically yelled back. Then I heard her murmur, "I wonder if I'm pregnant again. . . Let me out!" Her last three words, she said out loud.

"Can't do that," I told Elesis. "You're eviiiiiil."

"I'll show _you_ evil," she muttered.

"See!" I exclaimed. "Evil coodies! You wouldn't hurt a disabled person, would you?!" Of course, I was just playing around a bit. Had to lighten the mood.

"Oh, you're disabled? I didkn't _know_" Elesis said sarcastically. Then she tried to throw a rock at me, yelling, "Who the hell put me in here anyway?!"

"Ryan!" I cried out.

"Elesis. . .?" Ronan called out, weakly.

"Please, let me out," Elesis said in a more subdued tone. Ronan came over to the cage, took out his tyrfing, and cut out a rectangle in the bars. Er. . .

Elesis looked at the rectangle Ronan made.

"Uhm. . . Did you want me to climb out of that?" she asked. I sat down to watch this, but I put a hand up to the left side of my chest, as it was feeling a bit painful, and I glanced over at Arme.

"Uh, yeah," Ronan answered. Elesis looked down at the hole that was about as big as her hand. I was wondering how she would fit her whole body through that.

"Sorry, I'm wounded!" Ronan said.

"I-It's okay!"

Ronan looked a bit down now. Elesis reached out to Ronan and tried to hug him, but she sort of failed at that.

"Someone please let me out. . ." she said.

"Should we?" I asked.

"Yes!" Elesis answered. I ignored her.

"Arme, what do you think?" I asked.

Arme thought out loud a bit. "Well, I know there's black magic."

"Just get me the fuck out!" Elesis screamed. Her patience was definitely wearing thin.

"Arme, just say that she ca-mrhhhpphh!" Ronan started, before Ryan covered Ronan's head with bandages.

Elesis then started kicking at the bars. One became loose, so Elesis decided to try and pull it out. Arme meanwhile was rolling a lit bomb on the ground with her foot.

. . . Wait, what?!

Immediately, I snatched the bomb and threw it out of the cavern.

"That's dangerous!" I cried.

"It's entertaining though!" Arme said innocently. Then she got out another one; however she "accidentally" rolled it into the cage. "Oops."

Elesis immediately kicked it, almost hitting Arme with it. She kicked it back and it got wedged between two bars.

"Get it out!" Elesis yelled. "Get it out!" Arme snickered a bit.

"No!" Ronan cried out. He tried to pry the bomb out, along with Elesis, who was kicking the bomb instead. Luckily, it wasn't lit. Until Arme took out a match.

"Ooh, a match!" Arme said, in an oddly cheery voice. However, she looked more like she was going to do something bad. Of course, she really _was_ going to.

Arme went over to the bomb and lit it. Immediately, Ryan went over and used Soul Effect on it, causing the bomb to explode within the shockwave. However, Elesis got hit by the edge of it and flew and hit the side of the cage.

"Ryan, watch it!" Ronan yelled.

"Ow. . ." Elesis groaned. "I think I broke something?" Well, I heard a snap, but I think it was one of the bars. She did hit it pretty hard, and I saw a thin crack in one.

"A-Are you okay?" Ronan asked, quite worried.

"I think. . ." Elesis answered, before she poked herself in the abdomen. Uh. . . huh? She did it again.

"I think your Soul Effect did something to her head, Ryan," Arme said. No duh. Then Elesis looked over at Ronan, and called his name, softly.

"Hrm?"

"Play with me!"

"Huh?!"

"Play with meeeeee!"

Okay, Ryan definitely knocked something loose in Elesis' brain. What was she, a little kid now?

"Are you okay?" Ronan asked.

"Play with me!" was all Elesis said.

"Uh, should we. . . let her out to play with Ronan?" Arme asked. Under her breath, she muttered, "Sounds like she turned into a little kid. . ."

"Is she suffering from brain damage?!" Ronan asked a bit hysterically.

"I-I think so!" Arme answered, before she went over and kicked the cage door open. "Fine, play with him."

Ronan had a look of surprise on his face, as Elesis crawled over to Ronan. Then she kissed him.

"Elesis?!" Ronan cried out, extremely surprised now, before he fainted.

"R-Ronan?" Elesis called, a bit worried. Looked like she was putting up an act just to get out of the cage. If I were her, I would've done the same thing.

Then I saw the blood oozing out. Looks like Ronan also fainted from blood loss. Or not, I wasn't quite sure, but I knew that this was the beginning of yet _another_ problem.

"What happened?!" Elesis asked.

"His wound opened, again," Ryan answered, as he tried to stop the bleeding. Soon, Ronan started to stir.

"Are you okay, Ronan?" Elesis asked.

"What. . .?" Ronan answered, so Elesis asked again.

"Who are you?" he asked, instead of answering. "And who's Ronan?" He looked around a bit, rubbing the back of his head.

"R-Ronan?"

"Not good," I heard Arme mutter. I could see Elesis was going to cry, and she buried her face in Ronan's chest, trying to hide it. He patted her back, looking somewhat confused and lost.

Then Arme came over from behind, and whacked Ronan on the head with her staff.

"Ow!" Ronan cried out. "What was that for?!"

"Get out of your damned amnesia!" Arme answered. "Are you alright now, Ronan?"

Ronan just started at Arme blankly, before saying, "Y'know, I really need names here." Poking Elesis a bit, he asked, "Who are you?"

"Amnesia, alright," Arme muttered, before she answered. "You're poking Elesis."

"Why's she sad?" Ronan asked.

"Because you have amnesia, damnit!" Arme yelled. "It'd make things _so _much easier if a blow to the head worked."

"Don't hurt me!" Ronan cried.

"How about intimidation?" I offered. Then I took out a dagger and pointed it at Ronan. "Remember or else!"

"Remember what?!" Ronan cried out. "Don't hurt me!"

"Hm, should I use Deep Impact?" Arme wondered. "No, that'd hurt everyone else, too. Hm. . ."

Ronan quickly stood up and ran, throwing Elesis off, but he tripped and fell. He didn't make another effort. Apparently his wounds were starting to hurt. I quickly ran to his side, as Ryan went over to comfort Elesis, who was getting closer to tears now. It must hurt, having the one you love not even remember who you are. . .

"Ronan, you're _so_ dead!" Arme shouted.

"Who the hell is Ronan?!" he asked, for perhaps the third time already. However, Arme didn't answer. Instead, she proceeded to whack Ronan on the head again.

"Stopitstopitstopit!" Ronan yelled, suddenly taking out his Spell Sword and waving it around. Dodging the sword, Arme gave Ronan a swift kick to the stomach. Ronan proceeded to fall over, dropping his sword in the process. Arme picked up the sword.

"C'mon, leave me alone!" Ronan cried. "What do you want from me?!"

"To remember already, damnit!" Arme answered.

"Remember what?!"

"Everything!"

"L-Look, I don't know anything!" Ronan honestly answered. "Just leave me alone!" Then, somehow, someway that I'll never figure out, he ended up hanging on the ceiling. I just stared at Ronan, quite bewildered.

"How the hell?" Arme said. Then Ronan started making cat noises, causing Arme to scream, "You're not a damned cat!"

"What am I?!" Ronan asked. "Who am I?! And if I'm not a cat, then how am I hanging onto the ceiling?!" That, I'd love to know.

"You're Ronan Erudon," Arme screamed, "a Spell Knight, Dragon Knight, Aegis Knight, and Abyss Knight!" That caused Ronan to fall down.

"How'd you do that anyway. . ." Arme asked, again.

"What?" Ronan asked. Apparently, he had short-term memory loss as well.

"Never mind," Arme muttered, before tripping Ronan, who was trying to make a run for it. Then he started to crawl, and said, "Leave me alone!"

Arme went over to him and, sitting on him, stated, "You're not going anywhere. Now, someone figure out how to get him to remember."

Ryan just shrugged, while I said, "Beats me!"

Jin, however, had an idea, although a very bad one, if you asked me.

"Sexually abuse him!" he suggested.

"What, you expect me to do that?" Arme asked. I noticed Jin was looking at Arme when he suggested that. Jin simply rolled his eyes, then shook his head.

"Maybe we could. . ." Arme started. I wondered what she had in mind? Was it possibly related to what Jin had said? Well, traumatic experiences might work. Right?

"Should we give it a try?" Arme asked us.

"Excuse me?!" Ronan exclaimed. Apparently he didn't want anything to happen to him.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try out ideas," Arme said. Then Ronan fainted.

"Now's your chance!" Jin yelled.

"No!" Arme cried out. Hell no did I want her to. "I am not!"

"Then make Elesis do it!" Jin said.

Arme looked over at Elesis, as if asking.

"What?" Elesis asked.

I wasn't sure what happened next. I felt myself grow cold, as an immense pain in my chest hit me. I felt like. . . like. . . like I was going to die. Was I? My heart. . . felt like it was going to rip apart.

And that's when I passed out.


	21. Chapter 20: Remember?

**Author's Note**: I screwed this chapter up. I wrote it in the PoV of the one with the amnesia, aren't I smart. It's shorter, too, so that's even worse, but at least it's 20. And. . . I go back to school on the 18th, so let's see what that does to the story in terms of updates. . .

--

I remember who I am now, of course. But back then, there was a time when something happened, and I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember who I was, who Arme was, who anyone was, and. . . who Elesis was. I suppose I'll tell this part as if I had no recollection of anything, just like then.

As I was being attacked by the purple-haired girl, the silver-haired boy suddenly collapsed. He looked as if he were in pain, and I felt sorry for him. I hoped he would be fine when he woke up, but of course, that wasn't the case.

"Lass?" the purple-haired one asked, her voice suddenly full of worry. I was amazed, and a bit surprised, how she could go from cruel torturer to worrisome female. She shook the boy, crying out his name, telling him to wake up.

"It may be his heart!" the male elf said, quite worried as well. The girl hugged the one she was holding, starting to cry.

"He needs a defibrillator or something!" the elf continued. When the girl asked what that was, he said, "Well, one of those shocky thingies!"

"Will my Lightning Bolt work?" she asked.

"Go for it! Just don't over do it."

Taking out the staff she whacked me with earlier, the mage, or at least, that's what I assumed she was, sent out a small bolt of lightning at the white-haired one. He flailed a bit as the electricity went through his body.

"A-Again!" the elf cried, so she did it again. This time, it worked, as the white-haired boy gasped loudly and started coughing up blood.

"L-Lass!" the mage cried, and hugged him, tightly. Speechless, he simply hugged her back, looking quite shocked.

"Are you okay, Lass?" she continued.

"I don't know," he answered. "My chest hurts a little."

"I-I don't want you to die!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"It's fine, Arme," he whispered to her, before kissing her softly. "I love you, y'know?"

"I love you too. . ."

"Aw, how cute," a female elf replied. Her hair was quite yellow.

At that point, I think I fell asleep, because I remember seeing myself. I dreamt that I was this sword-wielder, who could also incorporate magic into my attacks, though the magic wasn't as powerful as the magic the mage could use. I was also able to use this long, broad, spear-type weapon, one-handedly. A dragon was mine to summon at will, as if I were a tamer of dragons. Then, I was like a shield. I could take many hits, yet still stand, as I blocked and fought, with a sword and shield. Finally, I had the use of a long, thin sword, and could use even more magic with the sword.

Fast and swift, I took down my opponents quickly. So easy. . .

I started to wake a bit, but I was still heavily asleep. I think I said someone's name. There was a weight on my back.

"Ronan?" I faintly heard. I woke up, slowly, and tried to get up, but couldn't.

"Who's sitting on me?" I asked, my voice thick with drowsiness.

"Me," was the reply. Me who? I felt a poke in my backside, and was asked if I was awake. I simply uttered a small sound in response.

"So what did you dream about?" I was asked. I simply told her what I had dreamt about, but I talked about it as if I were talking about someone else's dream, as if it weren't me. It couldn't be me, yet. . .

There was a bit of silence from the one sitting on me, before I heard, "Okay?" I nodded, then proceeded to roll sideways, hoping to dislodge them. It worked, as I was met with a kick to the side and was asked, "What did you do that for?!"

I realized I had rolled into someone, knocking them over.

"Oops, I didn't see you there," I apologized.

"Get off," they said. It turned out to be the red-haired female.

Well, I rolled back, but then I got sat on again. Just peachy.

"C'mon!" I cried out.

"No."

"Pwease?"

"Hell no!"

I started to cry. I really didn't want to be here, as if I were some prisoner!

"Sorry," I heard.

"Why am I here again?" I asked, after my sobbing had subsided.

"Sheesh!"

"Seriously."

"You lost your memory. . ."

"And?"

"Remember damnit!" they screeched into my ear. I think this was the blond elf. My ear rang after she yelled into my ear.

"Oh, I got a _great_ idea," I heard, voice filled with sarcasm. I think that was the mage.

I was curious. "Why don't you. . . make out with Elesis?" I could hear snickering. Uhm, wait, what?!

I felt the elf move as she kicked the red-haired one, who was apparently Elesis. When I looked over at her, I felt something stir from deep within me, but I thought nothing of it.

"What?" she asked.

Hoping they'd forget about me if I closed my eyes and slept, I did. I woke up awhile later from a dreamless sleep. I peeked one eye open, slightly, and saw the male elf sitting on some weapons. Didn't that hurt?

Well, I felt that the elf sitting on me was leaning a bit to one side, so taking this chance, I leaped up suddenly and ran for it. I tripped over the red-haired girl, who was sitting right in my path. I felt someone sit on my back. They felt a bit heavier. I could tell, because the elf seemed quite light for her size.

"Don't go anywhere," I heard someone tell me. I let out a small whimper. "Sorry, I can't let you leave," they told me.

After awhile of just sitting there, I felt a poke, probably from the red-haired girl. I was feeling irritated, and without meaning to, snapped, "What do you want?" I must've sounded a bit mean.

"I. . . just want you to remember," I heard her say. She sounded as if she was about to cry.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"N-Nothing!" she answered.

Rolling over a bit, trying not to knock her off, I looked at her.

"What. . .?" she asked.

"Tell me the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"Who am I, and who am I. . . to you?" I asked.

She looked at me a bit before answering.

"You are. . . Ronan Eurdon, a Spell Knight, Dragon Knight, Aegis Knight, and Abyss Knight. You are Kanavan's Royal Guard Master, who joined Grand Chase to explore the new continent, Xenia," she answered. "And you, to me. . . You are Ronan, plain and simple. You are the guy that I fell in love with." As soon as she finished, she started to cry.

"I-I'm sorry. . ." I said. I wasn't sure what else I could've said.

"I just want you to remember who you are!" She broke down crying, and I didn't want to see that. Looking around, I realized we were the only ones in this cavern. Where did the others go?

Gently getting her off of me, I gave the girl a hug and told her, "I'll try my best to remember." I had to. Something told me that it was for her sake.

"T-Thank y-you. . ." she whispered, before she leaned over and kissed me. I felt myself grow hot from embarrassment, and I was sure my cheeks were red.

"You really do love me, huh?" I asked softly.

She nodded, and started, "I sometimes wish. . ." before she looked down. I asked what she was about to say, but she simply said it was nothing, so I just hugged her tightly.

Hugging me back, she murmured, "I love you, Ronan."

I could feel a faint stirring in my chest as she told me that.

"Although, I don't remember you. . ." I said. "It seems as if my heart does."

"What can I do to help you remember?" she asked. I thought for a bit but nothing came to my mind that would help me remember, so I started to cry.

"R-Ronan?" she asked, voice full of concern for. . . _me_. Oh, man, I just had to remember, but how?

"I'm sorry," I told her, "that I can't remember."

"I-It's okay," she told me, but I knew it wasn't okay. She kissed me softly on the lips. Then I leaned in close to her, and kissed her deeply. I think I surprised her, for she pulled back a bit, and she looked a bit shocked. Her cheeks were tinged red.

"Elesis. . ." I whispered. Her name. . . Elesis. . . I. . . I. . . love. . . "Just kiss me. . ."

She nodded slightly, then leaned in to kiss me. I felt as if I could just stay here forever, and ever. . . But no. . . My vision swam, the edges growing fuzzy, before it grew black.


	22. Chapter 21: See Ya

**Author's Note**: There was some trouble with FFNet so this thing's a day later than the devART submission. Oh, and to quote a friend. . . "NO, NOT THE AMERICAN FLAG."

--

A strange bug, with the colors of a dark red, a navy blue, and a bone-white crawled out of Ronan's head and started scrambling around. I jumped in surprise, and then proceeded to jump on it. It got crushed with a sickening crunch.

"Ew," I muttered. I tried not to look under my shoe.

Ronan stirred beside me.

"Where am I. . .?" he asked drowsily.

"Ronan?" I said, looking at him.

"Elesis. . .?" Ronan looked up at me, as if he were dreaming. "Is that you?"

"Y-Yes," I answered.

"What happened?" he asked, sitting up. "I was in a dark place."

"You. . . lost your memory," I told him. Ronan looked astonished and surprised. I leaned down and hugged him, feeling his warmth.

"I'm glad you remember again," I murmured.

"Me too," Ronan said.

Then someone behind us coughed. The two of us turned to see who it was, and it turned out to be Lass.

"L-Lass?" I said, my voice a slight pitch higher. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to investigate," Lass answered. He looked a bit embarrassed. "I'll leave you two alone. . .?" He started inching away, before Lass turned around and ran. I just watched him leave.

"I wonder what he was thinking?" Ronan asked. I looked over at him, and noticed he was blushing a bit.

"I'd rather not know," I answered, before the two of us got up and went after Lass.

We soon came into another cavern. I was getting a tad sick of all these caverns.

I saw Lass trip over Ryan. He fell over, face first, without a sound. Immediately, Arme went over to Lass and propped him up into a sitting position.

"A-Are you alright?" Arme asked, obviously worried.

"I'm fine," Lass answered, with a nervous chuckle. He blushed slightly, and seemed a bit limp. Then he said, "I have a question."

"Yes Lass?"

"What would happen," Lass asked, "if I couldn't be a part of Grand Chase anymore?"

Arme seemed to think for a bit before answering.

"I-I would be upset, very upset, that I wouldn't be able to fight with you. In fact, I'd do what I can to keep you a part of it."

"Well, could you help me now, Arme?"

"Of course I will, Lass. What is it?"

Lass pulled away from Arme a bit before he spoke.

"I just. . . My heart hurts every time I try to fight," he told Arme. "The slightest exercise brings me pain." As he spoke, Lass' voice began trembling, as he tried not to cry. "I don't think I'll be around for you very long."

"No," Arme said softly, not wanting to believe it. "I swear to you, Lass, I will find a way to cure your heart. Even if it means that. . ." She didn't finish. Lass looked at Arme questioningly.

Shaking her head a bit as if to clear her thoughts, Arme said, "I'll do anything in my power to help you. I. . . I think I'll consult the spirits."

"Don't push yourself, just because me of me," Lass told her.

"I'd do anything for you, Lass. Now, please, don't do anything to endanger yourself." With that said, Arme picked up her lamp from the corner of the cavern. Sitting down, she put the lamp on her lap, and closed her eyes.

Lass went over and sat down next to Ryan, who was asleep, and fell asleep himself. Lire, who I hadn't seen at first, went over and sat down on the other side of Ryan, before falling asleep too. I think Arme also fell asleep, as I heard her snore a bit. I sat down next to Ronan who was. . . well, y'know. I nodded off eventually.

Later, something woke me up, but I didn't want to wake up. I heard someone say, "I can't. . . die. . ."

I opened one eye a bit to see both Arme and Lass awake. I heard Arme say, "I don't want. . . to have to leave. . . But, I must." Then she picked something up and started to walk out.

Immediately, Lass tried to stop her, but he fell to the floor. "Arme, please, no!"

"I-I'm sorry, Lass," Arme said, before she left.

Lass began to cry a bit, while saying, "What have I done. . .?" Then he noticed something on the ground, near where Arme was. Picking it up, he read it aloud.

"I'm sorry, Lass, but I must leave you and the others for awhile. Please don't die in my absence; try to stay alive for me. I'll be back when I find your cure. Love, Arme."

Lass fell silent for a bit, before he cried out her name loudly.

I closed my eyes, feeling tired, but couldn't fall asleep.

Someone woke up, and it turned out to be Lire, when she asked, "What's going on?" I heard the crinkle of paper, and the sound of Lass crying, before Lire spoke again.

"And. . . And she didn't even say goodbye," Lire said softly. It sounded like she was crying as well. Then I heard the sound of footsteps and Lire ask, "Lass, where are you going?" There was no answer, but the footsteps soon disappeared.

Faintly, I heard Lire yell, "Lass, stop!" Then a thud sounded, and Lire, again yelling, "You are _not_ going back to that place!"

"I have to," Lass answered.

"And why?"

"I have to find Arme!" Lass shouted, sounding quite angered.

Another thud, and Lire yelling, "Wait! Damn, I gotta go and get someone." Soon footsteps were heard again, getting closer, as Lire came into the cavern, crying, "Someone help me chase Lass! I think he's going back to the Ellia Continent!"

Next to me, Ronan, started awake, cried, "Huhwhathuh?!"

"Huh?" Ryan simply went. I opened my eyes again, and looked over at Lire. Something stirred a bit in my stomach.

"I think he went to look for Arme!" Lire cried, a bit upset. "I need someone to chase him! I can't run fast!"

Ryan raised his hand and said, "I can't either."

Sighing, Ronan said, "I'll go." Then he stood up.

Feeling tired again, I closed my eyes, this time falling asleep. It seemed as if that as soon as I closed my eyes, someone was nudging me. Out of pure instinct, I slapped whoever it was, before waking up.

"What do you want?" I asked, with a bit of annoyance in my tone. "I had a good dream and you just had to ruin it!"

Lire looked at me, and said, "Well, uh, you said some weird things."

"Like what?" I asked, so Lire told me.

Apparently, I was muttering something strange. Lire said she though she heard me say, "Don't eat my baby."

Ronan said that he would never do anything like that, but Lire said that I probably hadn't meant him. Then I muttered something else. When Ronan asked, Lire said that it had something that I wanted Ronan to do, basically involving. . . a baby.

Then Lire nudged me with her foot, and that's when I slapped her.

After hearing what I had said in my sleep, I just looked away a bit, a bit embarrassed.

"Uhm," Ronan said, "well, I'm going out to look for Lass, Elesis."

"Lass went missing?" I said. "And where's Ar-" I started, before I got hit with a strong wave of nausea, and doubled over.

"El-Elesis?" came Ronan's voice.

"I'm gonna. . . gonna. . ." I said, trying to keep it in. I tried to get up and run, so the others wouldn't see me, but I fell over.

"A-Are you okay?" Lire asked, at the same time Ronan asked, "Elesis? What are you doing?!" He tried to help me up, but I didn't want him to. No way did I want to throw up on Ronan.

"I'm. . . going. . . to. . . puke. . ." I managed to say, before keeling over.

"Is she alright?!" I heard Ronan asked.

"Uh, she's going to puke, Ronan," I heard Lire say, stating the obvious. "Help her, or just get out of the room." Then I heard her footsteps as she walked out, followed by a quicker set of footsteps as Ronan left. Quickly, Lire came back in and dragged Ryan out.

"Oh, you're so ni-" I began muttering, before it all came out. After I was done, I fell over, landing with a thump. I heard Ronan calling out, "Elesis, are you okay?!" I simply groaned in response. I felt too weak to get up.

"Elesis?" Lire called.

"I'm. . . fine. . ." I lied.

I heard Lire come in, followed by Ronan. When he saw me, he ran over and helped me up.

"Are you alright?!" Ronan asked, holding me closely.

"I'm. . . fine. . ." I said weakly. At least I felt a tiny bit better.

Lire then asked, "Are you. . . pregnant?" I thought for a bit before answering.

"I. . . might be?" I said.

"Pregnant. . ." Ronan said.

Then I said, "I dunno. . ."

Looking over at Lire, I saw her walk over and picked up a pink slip.

"What's this?" she asked. "It was near where Lass was." Why was that thing near Lass?

"She's pregnaaa. . ." Ronan started, before fainting. Apparently it came as a shock to him.

"R-Ronan?" I was a bit worried.

Lire, kicking Ronan, yelled, "Up and at them!"

Ronan rolled over and said, "I'm okay!"

"Sheesh," Lire muttered, "you find out that she's pregnant and you faint."

"Well," Ronan said, "what if _you _were pregnant?"

Lire ignored him. Then, Ryan ran into the room, seemingly enraged.

"What?!" he cried out. "Lire's pregnant?! Ronan?!"

It seemed like Ryan misheard and thought Lire was pregnant with i_Ronan's_/i child. Ryan looked about ready to kill Ronan.

"Ryan!" Lire cried out. "I'm not pregnant! Elesis is!"

Ryan calmed down immediately, relieved that Lire wasn't pregnant, and Ronan wasn't the father.

"O-Oh, congratulations, you two," Ryan said, chuckling nervously.

"Uhm. . . thanks," I said, looking at Ryan a bit warily. "And, uh, does anyone have a carrot? All of a sudden, I want one."

"Uh, well, I could go and look?" Lire offered.

"Oh no," Ryan exclaimed, "she's turned into a rabbit!" I glared at Ryan, who then proceeded to shove Ronan out of the room. "Now, go find Lass," Ryan said.

"Ow, fine!" Ryan cried out. "No need to shove!"

Getting up, I chased after Ronan. "I-I think I want to go too."

"W-Wait, Elesis," Ronan said. "You shouldn't be going anywhere in your state!"

"I'm fine," I told him. "It's not like my stomach's a big balloon yet!"

"A-Alright," he said. Then, glaring at Ryan, Ronan said, "Have fun, you two!"

"H-Hey!" Lire exclaimed. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

Ryan didn't say anything, but his face completely turned red. I tried not to laugh.

"Uh, Ryan, let's just. . . go with," Lire said to Ryan.

"Huh?"

"Let's go with those two to find Lass. And to make sure they don't do anything stupid."

"Okay."

I heard Ronan let out a small cry of disappointment. What was _he_ thinking?

"Ronan!" I cried out. "No funny business. We have to find Lass."

"Of course," Ronan said. "Let's go."

We all left the cave. Once outside, we began to run. I looked back a bit, while chasing after Ronan, and saw that Lire was a bit. . . slow. Ryan was faster than her, but he preferred to stay next to Lire.

"Sheesh, I'm so slow," I heard Lire complain. Ryan looked over at her, before he slowed down, ending up behind her, and scooped her up in his arms. Lire let out a yelp of surprise when Ryan picked her up, one hand at her back, the other under her knees. I was a bit jealous; I wanted Ronan to carry me like that too.

"D-Don't drop me Ryan!" Lire cried out, though she didn't sound that worried. She sounded like she was having a bit of fun.

"Of course I won't!" Ryan replied, before kissing Lire on the cheek, as he ran, though slowly.

Both me and Ronan remained silent for awhile.

Then I turned around, while still running, and yelled, "You two are so slow! Hurry it u-" before I tripped.

"Elesis!" Ronan cried out, stopping to help me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine."

Hugging me tightly, Ronan said, concerned, "You shouldn't have come. . ."

"No, I'm fine," I told him. Then I felt something hit my head. When I looked up, I realized Lire had just kicked me. I scowled at her, as she yelled back at us, "Hurry up, ya slowpokes!"

"Get back here, Lire, and say that to my face!" I yelled back. Then I got up and started chasing after the two elves.

"Run, Ryan!" Lire cried out.

"Elesis, you shouldn't be running!" Ronan cried out after me, but I ignored him.

Ryan had begun to run as fast as he possibly could, crying, "I don't think I wanna die!"

We were soon at the Xenia Border.


	23. Chapter 22: To Search

**Author's Note**: A tad shorter, but hey, a chapter written in one day. I submitted this onto FFNet first instead of deviantART to make up for the fact chapter 21 was late. Also, this is written in two PoV's; Lass, then Ryan.

--

I couldn't die, I just couldn't.

I stumbled through the area. The place was familiar; we had been here before. However, we came through together, and here I was, alone, beat up, and covered in blood, my own blood.

"Let me. . . through," I managed to say, holding up a dagger to the shadowed figure in front of me. His long claws were dripping with my blood.

"And why would I do that?" he asked, with a sneer.

"I have to get thr-through," I answered. Why bother talking, when he was a monster right now?

"It looks like you're 'through' to me," he muttered darkly. He was right, I was.

Then, I heard someone cry out, "Not so fast!" I heard the arrow before I saw it. The arrow hit my attacker in the chest. He cried out in pain.

"What's this?!" he yelled.

I looked around, and saw Lire jumping down from a tree. Lire? She managed to follow me?

"Hmph, you aren't killing any one of us so easily!" Lire said.

"Li. . . re?" I choked out.

"Ryan! Get Lass out of here!" Lire yelled, as she began to bombard my attacker with arrows. "Who the hell are you?!"

I heard him laugh, before he emerged from the shadows and cried out, "I am Lenasien!" Then he began to attack Lire. She dodged it with a swift shadow step, and was behind Lenasien a good distance. Lire was an expert at dodging the attacks, assaulting Lenasien from the distance.

Soon, Lenasien was exhausted. He could hardly fight anymore

"If that purple-haired brat hadn't of come by," Lenasien growled, "you'd be diced by now. . ."

"You saw. . . a purple-haired girl come by?!" I asked.

"Arme!" Lire exclaimed.

Still panting, Lenasien said, "I'll retreat for now, but I'll be back!" With that said, he disappeared into the shadows.

Lire immediately ran over to me and picked me up with a bit of effort. "Let's get out of here!" She then ran as fast as she could but, Lire wasn't all that fast. Sometimes, I had to wonder if elves were slow.

Then I heard Ronan.

"Uh, yeah, uh, where's Lire?"

"Over there," I heard; Elesis.

"Oh, hey, it's Lass!" Ronan exclaimed. Of course it was me. . .

"Ah, we found him," Ryan said. More like "Lire found him."

"Help me carry him out of here before Lenasien comes back!" Lire cried out.

My head started to swim from the loss of blood. All I was aware of now were sounds, including voices, and maybe a bit of light, too.

"Hey, wait up!" I heard.

"Oh, Lass, he's badly wounded! If only Arme were here. . ." Lire said.

"Holy Inferno!" Ryan said. Nothing. "Holy Inferno already!

"Oops."

Suddenly, I felt light, as the Holy Inferno was activated. My vision was flooded with a light blue. It was a bit bright, so I closed my eyes.

"Oh, please don't die," I heard Lire say.

I started to cough a bit. Well, I felt better now, though not by much. Having a bit of fun, I pretended to snore. Bad idea.

"He's asleep?!" I heard someone yell. I felt a kick to my side, as I realized it was Elesis. "Are you even badly hurt?!"

Ow, ow, ow.

"Elesis!" Lire yelled. "Don't hurt him!" Then I heard something. I wasn't sure what it was, but I think someone got kicked. Or at least hurt in some way.

"Ow!" someone cried out.

"Ryan! Ronan!" someone else cried. "Help me!"

It sounded like Elesis and Lire, and Lire was being chased.

I opened my eyes a bit, and almost shut them again. It seemed so bright. However, I saw Ryan holding Elesis back, who looked a bit angry.

"Lemme go!" Elesis screamed.

"Ryan!" Ronan cried. "You might hurt the baby!"

"I'm only holding her arms!" Ryan said.

"Yeah, don't hurt the baby!" Elesis said mockingly, before she kicked Ryan. He let out a cry of pain. "Now lemme go!"

"Fine!" Ryan said, as he let go. As soon as he let go of Elesis, she chased after Lire again.

"Don't let go of her next time!" Lire yelled as she ran. I watched in amusement as Lire was chased by Elesis, who was chased by Ryan, who was chased by Ronan. I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't even utter a word.

Then Elesis stopped suddenly, almost causing Ryan and Ronan to run into her, and fell over.

"Elesis?" Lire and Ronan called out at the same time.

"Ronan's acting like a mother," I heard Ryan muttered. He had stopped in front of me. Lire agreed. Then she whispered, "He should propose to Elesis."

Apparently Ronan heard as he turned to them and shot out a Mono Bolt at the two. Luckily, both the elves dodged it.

"What the hell was that for?!" Lire yelled.

"I heard that!" Ronan answered. "I don't act like a mother!"

"Well, you seem to be acting like one!" Lire shot back.

Ignoring Lire's remark, Ronan went over to Elesis, who had stood up.

"I-I'm fine," Elesis said. Obviously she was not.

"Are you sure?" Ronan asked.

"Of course I am!" she answered.

"Okay. . ." he said, not quite believing her.

"Uh, are you having mood swings?" Lire asked suddenly.

"Of course not!" Elesis answered, before she tried to kick Lire. Lire managed to dodge it.

Taking advantage of the fact no one was paying attention to me, I sneaked off. Faintly, I heard Elesis ask, "Is Lass awake yet? We should bring him back." I had great timing; if I had left too late, I would've been caught. Immediately, I made a run for it.

*~*~*~*~*

We soon arrived near the place we had fought Dark Anmon. He was a fallen Nephilim that was trying to invade our homeland, Bermesiah. Luckily, we stopped him. Why was Lass here?

"He's gone so far," Ronan remarked. "I wonder if his heart can take this much?"

"It. . . could be his desire. . . to find Arme," Lire answered. "But why did he head this way, where we fought Dark Anmon?"

"Dark Anmon?!" Elesis said. "Where is he? I'll kick his ass like we did before!"

Lire looked at Elesis while I hid behind Ronan.

"Is something wrong with you, Elesis?" Lire asked.

Elesis looked a bit surprised at what she had said.

"I-I'm fine," she answered. "I must've been thinking about too many things at once."

As he came over to hug Elesis, Ronan said, "It's just symptoms of being pregnant." I wasn't too sure about that.

"M-Maybe," Elesis said softly. Then she asked, "Uhm, Ronan? What should we name the baby?"

Looking a bit surprised, Ronan answered, "Naming the baby? I-I never really thought about that."

"Well," Elesis said, "maybe we could name it after you if the baby's male?"

"Huh? I don't know," Ronan replied.

"We have to name it though," Elesis pointed out. "I mean, a baby has to have a name. . ."

Before Ronan could answer, Lire said, "I hate to interrupt your, uh, precious moment, but we need to find Lass. And I think I see him." Lire pointed to a figure off in the distance.

All of us immediately ran towards the figure, and sure enough, it was Lass. We heard him call, "Arme, where are you?"

I was the first to reach him. I placed a hand on his shoulder, and Lass yelped with surprise.

"Hey, it's just me!" I told him.

"You guys. . .?" Lass said, with a bit of surprise.

"Are you okay, Lass?" Lire asked, at the same time Ronan said, "Lass, let's go back."

As soon as Ronan said that, Lass snapped, "I'm fine! Just leave me be!"

"C'mon, Lass," Lire pleaded. "You're hurt!"

"I have to find Arme!" Lass said urgently. "You have to understand!"

"But what good are you to her dead?!" Lire reasoned.

"I just have to find her," Lass said, but he knew Lire was right.

"You can't do it though, Lass," I told him. "You're in a bad condition."

"Y'know, we can find her for you," Lire told Lass.

"I'm fine!" Lass yelled. He turned and started to walk off, but he tripped over a root. Lire immediately went over and picked him up. "So. . . heavy. . ." Lire muttered. I came over and helped Lire carry Lass.

"Damn," Lass muttered, turning his head away.

"Sorry," Lire apologized, "but this is for your own good." Lass said nothing.

Soon, Ronan began to stumble.

"Are you okay, Ronan?" I asked.

Then, suddenly, Elesis ran off somewhere.

"Huh?" Ronan said in confusion. "Elesis?" Then he started to cough a bit.

"Ronan, are you okay?" Lire asked.

"I'm fi-" Ronan started, before he started to cough more.

"Get him some water!" I said. Quickly, Lire ran to a nearby stream and came back with some water for Ronan, who managed to drink it. He coughed a bit, but seemed to be fine for now.

"I need to find where Elesis went," Ronan said after he stopped coughing. Then he ran off in the direction that Elesis had went.

Putting Lass down on the ground, I ran after Ronan, catching up with him quickly. I grabbed his wrist and tried to drag him back.

Immediately, Ronan pulled away. He looked over at me.

"Leave me alone, Ryan," Ronan said darkly. "You're lucky that you're the one without problems."

"W-What?!"

"Just go back to Lire and Lass, Ryan. I don't need you around right now." With that, he turned and walked off.

I looked down, clenching my fists. I felt bad.

Eventually, I went back to Lass. I saw Lire run off in the direction Ronan went. I sighed, and sat down next to Lass.

"What, Ronan too harsh?" Lass said mockingly.

"Shut up," I muttered. I wasn't in the mood anymore.


	24. Chapter 23: Sickness

I ran after Ronan. Soon, I saw him and caught up to him, and grabbed his arm. However, Ronan snatched it away from me. Then I saw his face. Ronan had a fever.

"Ronan, don't," I told him. "You'll only hurt yourself even worse."

"I'm not hurt," he said, before he started to cough harshly.

"Yes you are!" I argued. "You're sick!"

"It's not the same," he said.

"Yes it is."

"I have to find. . . Elesis." Ronan was growing weaker, and yet he was determined. He tried to walk again, but his footing was unstable. Ronan soon fell over.

"Don't, Ronan," I said. "You. Are. Hurt."

Giving up, Ronan closed his eyes, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing. Alarmed, I called out for Ryan. Soon, he came over, asking what was wrong.

"It's Ronan," I told him. "He's sick." Ronan began to wheeze.

"I. . . can't brea. . ." Ronan managed to say.

"Oh no," I said softly. "Do we have to do CPR?"

"I don't think that's the problem," Ryan told me. "His trachea seems to be too swollen for any air to come through."

What did he say? His trachea?

"T-Then what do we do?" I asked.

"I don't know!" Ryan answered. Great.

"What a great time for Arme to leave us," I muttered. "Arme, please, come back. . ." I wish I was a bit more knowledgeable about this type of stuff. Arme was the health expert.

"Well, we need to find a way to get air to his lungs."

"Uh, how about we breathe it into him?"

"Like I said, his trachea's swollen," Ryan pointed out.

"Well," I said, "stick something down his throat?"

"He's turning blue," Ryan noticed. Not good. I tried to perform CPR, but it didn't seem to work. Ronan was turning a nice shade of blue. I kept trying the CPR.

Lass, who had somehow came over to where we were, suggested, "Poke a hole in his throat." He was standing right behind Ryan.

Not thinking, I tried to poke my finger down Ronan's throat, to perhaps clear it. Then I realized what I just did and backed away, quickly.

"Crap," I muttered, as Ronan started gagging a little. He started to gasp a bit. I ran behind a tree and looked over at Ronan.

He turned over onto his stomach, and got up a bit before he threw up. Oops.

Ryan immediately backed away.

As Ronan coughed, he said weakly, "That. . . was dumb."

"S-Sorry, I was trying to clear your throat," I said apologetically. Then, suddenly, I heard a thump somewhere nearby, followed by a groan. Ronan looked up.

"What was that?" I said to no one in particular. The sound was behind me, so I walked over and found Elesis, on the floor.

"Whoa, Elesis?" Lass said, surprised. He had followed me. Seemingly fine, Lass walked over and heaved Elesis up onto his back. Ronan tried to scramble over, but he fell down.

"Ugh, I'm fine," Elesis said.

"What happened to you?" Lass asked.

"I threw up," she answered.

"Oh, so did Ronan," Lass said casually.

"I-Is he sick?" Elesis asked, now worried. Lass nodded. Elesis looked down, obviously upset.

Ryan went over to Ronan and poked him.

"H-Hey, don't poke him!" Elesis protested.

Ryan looked up, surprised, and said, "Oh, it's Elesis!" Lass helped Elesis get over to where Ryan and Ronan were. I simply followed. Then Ryan pointed over to Ronan and yelled, "Keep him isolated! He's contagious!"

Ignoring Ryan, Elesis said, "L-Lass, I-I found. . . found. . ."

Looking at her questioningly, Lass asked, "What is it?"

Elesis didn't answer. Instead, she shoved Lass away and ran over to the bushes, where she threw up.

"Everyone's throwing up today," I said. Then Ryan sounded as if he were throwing up as well.

"Ew!" I cried out, knowing Ryan was a bit close to me. When I turned around, I saw Ryan was only teasing. "Ryan!"

"Just kidding!" he said.

"Don't do that!"

"Sorry," Ryan said, scratching the back of his head. I hugged Ryan a bit and said, "It's okay."

"Sorry to break up the moment," Lass said, "but Ronan looks like he's having a tough time."

"No, I'm fine," Ronan said, when he was obviously not. Then, unexpectedly, Elesis fainted. Ronan was about to say something, but fell into a fit of coughing.

"Ronan!" I cried.

"I'm fine," he said, after he stopped coughing.

"No, you aren't!" I told him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Elesis said. She had gotten up. Lass went over to her and began to fan her. However, Elesis told him to stop. Then she tried to walk over to Ronan, but ended up tripping. Luckily, Ryan caught Elesis.

"I feel faint," Elesis muttered. I noticed Ronan was trying to get over to Elesis, but was struggling a bit. Ryan put Elesis down and poked Ronan was his scythe.

"No," Ryan said to Ronan. "Stay away, she can't get sick." Ronan looked down, a bit upset.

Suddenly, Elesis exclaimed, "Lass!"

"Huh?! What?!" Lass asked, surprised.

"I-I found Arme. . ." Elesis told him.

Lass almost looked as if he was about to collapse. "What?!"

"S-She's near the Tem-Temple of F-Fire. . ."

Why did Elesis look as if she were going to collapse?

Lass got up and began to back away from us. "I'm sorry."

"W-Wait Lass," Elesis said, weakly.

"What is it, Elesis?"

"W-We should go t-together. . ."

"But Ronan's contagious!" Ryan cried out.

"It's just a feve-" Ronan began, before he broke off, hacking and coughing.

"What?" Elesis said in disbelief. "No, I don't care if you are. . ."

Ronan grabbed his throat a bit, as if to hold back the coughing and tried to get up.

"Ronan, don't get up," I told him. Ronan kept trying to convince me that he was fine, but I wouldn't budge. Soon, he gave up.

Ronan fell to his knees, sighing. "I don't know what do to now. . ."

"I'll help you walk, Ronan," Elesis offered.

"Elesis, thank you," Ronan said, quite grateful and happy.

Elesis went over and helped Ronan stand.

"But Elesis, if you get sick. . ." I started.

"What?" Elesis looked at me, curious.

"You. . . You could affect the baby," I told her. When Elesis realized that, she looked down in disappointment. She seemed torn between helping Ronan, and keeping the baby alive.

"I-It's alright, Elesis!" Ronan said, in an attempt to comfort Elesis.

As if deciding for her, Ryan and Lass came over to Ronan and helped him up.

"I. . . don't. . . I don't like being hindered. . ." Elesis muttered.

"Elesis, please, could you try to be more careful? Just relax. . . Could you do it for yourself, and for both me and our child?" Ronan added as Elesis started to protest. After a bit of silence, she agreed.

To Ryan and Lass, I said, "Try not to get sick, you two."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure nothing will happen as long as he doesn't puke or sneeze on us," Lass said jokingly.

"Or make skin contact," Ryan said, a bit more serious. Well, it seemed to me that they were already making skin contact with Ronan.

"Well, you are helping him up," I noted. "And that means Elesis will probably get sick too. . ."

"Nice going," Lass said to Elesis.

"Oh shut up," she snapped.

"Uhm, let's go," Ronan said hesitantly. He didn't want a fight to start.

"I found. . . found Arme, near the Temple of Fire, under a t-tree," Elesis said, mostly to Lass.

"Is she okay?!" Lass asked.

"Well, I didn't get near her, in case s-she saw me," Elesis explained. "She was just lying there, though. . . and sh-she had bandages on her, and her clothes were a bit torn, from a battle, I think."

"Then we should hurry," Ryan said.

Luckily, we were fairly close by. When we were in sight of the Temple, Lass began to search under every tree we saw.

"Uhm, y-you don't have to run to every tree," Elesis said, after Lass was searching under the twelfth tree. Lass looked over, so Elesis explained. "S-She's over t-that one." She pointed to a large tree.

The crown of the tree was visible from where we were. Immediately, Lass took off; the rest of us tried to keep up. Soon, we saw her, Arme.

"A-Arme!" Lass exclaimed. He seemed so happy to see her, yet worried.

Arme was covered in bandages. Some were wrapped over her arms, some on her legs, and some covered her face. As we got closer, we heard something. At first, I thought it was a monster, prowling. Then I realized it came from Arme. She was asleep. Well, at least she _seemed_ all right if she was just snoozing like that.

However, as we got closer, Elesis seemed to sway, before she fell over. Naturally, Ronan tried to help her, but seeing as how he was sick, he ended up falling over as well.

"I-I don't feel well," Elesis stated. That was a bit obvious. She tried to stand, but was having difficulty doing so.

"A-Are you okay?" Ronan asked. He tried to hide how sick he was, but was failing.

"N-No," Elesis answered truthfully, before she fell unconscious.

Immediately alarmed, Ronan tried to run over to Elesis, but fell over.

"Sh-She's cursed," Arme said in an almost ominous voice. I looked over at her, shocked, only to realize that Arme was still asleep. Was she simply speaking out in a dream?

"She's scaring me," Ryan said.

"Curse of Kaze'aze. . ." Arme continued, before she began to scream, scaring me as well as Ryan.

"Lass! Quiet her down!" Ryan cried out. However, Lass didn't hear, as he was covering his ears.

"No!" Arme screamed, waking up.

"A-Arme?" Lass asked, before he dropped down beside Arme and hugged her tightly.

Arme looked shocked, maybe at the dream, maybe at Lass, maybe both. She hugged him back, tightly, crying out, "You're still alive!" Arme seemed so relieved.

"But Ronan might not be," Lass whispered. Arme looked over at Ronan, who seemed to be getting worse. She ran over to him quickly.

"Ive. . . never felt. . . so sick. . . in my li. . . life. . ." Ronan whispered weakly. I was scared. Was Ronan going to. . . die?

"H-How long has he been ill?!" Arme asked, looking at us.

"Oh, I don't know, ever since you left?" Ryan said. I wanted to kick Ryan; it wasn't Arme's fault that Ronan got sick!

She blamed herself.

"Then it's my fault," Arme said softly. I thought I heard Ronan say something, but it was too soft to hear.

"It's not, Arme," Lass told her.

Arme held up a bottle of some green liquid. "I-I have this potion, but. . . I don't know if it works. . ." she said, a bit hesitant. That didn't stop her from putting some in Ronan's mouth.

He began to cough. "It tastes vile. . ."

"Sorry, but just drink it." Arme gave Ronan a little more. As he drank it, Ronan seemed to look a little better. He wasn't as pale, and he managed to sit up. "T-Thanks. . ."

What kind of potion was that?

After she had given Ronan some, Arme turned to Lass and gave him the bottle. "Please, drink this, Lass."

He blinked thoughtfully, maybe thinking about what Ronan said about it, but Lass quickly drank it all down.

As soon as he finished, Arme told him,"It's the cure for your heart, but it's also a cure for sickness."

--

**Author's Note**: Yes, it's at the end this time, heh. Who knows what Arme had to go through to get a potion like that. . . And looks like Ronan infected Elesis. Maybe. And Ryan's smart. Or so it seems.


	25. Chapter 24: Ronan's Sorry and Joy

**Author's Note**: Oh snaps, another chapter so soon? Yep. I must be motivated to write as school starts on Tuesday for me. A note; the PoV switches, starting with Arme, then Lire, then Ronan. On another note, my left arm is getting sore from all this typing.

--

"I need water," Lass said. He looked like he was choking slightly.

"Sorry," I said, "but you can't drink anything for about ten minutes."

"Great," he muttered. "Does my breath stink?"

I was about to answer when Ryan said, "I'm not taking risks," and held his nose.

Glaring slightly at Ryan, I said, "No, it only tastes bad, is all." Lass sighed a bit, before he started to hug and kiss me, and thanked me. It seemed as if he was about to cry. He turned away, trying not to show it.

I leaned against him, missing the warmth of his body and said softly, "It's nothing, Lass."

"Aw, he's crying," I heard Ryan say. I muttered at him, "Say anything more and your ass is on fire."

Ryan didn't mention another word.

On a different topic, I asked, "What. . . happened. . . to Elesis?"

Whispering, Ronan answered, "She's pregnant." I was a bit shocked, but I shouldn't have been.

"Again?!" I exclaimed. Lire nodded.

"But," I said, looking over at Elesis, "she doesn't look too well, though."

"Maybe Ronan got her sick?" Ryan suggested. I nodded in agreement, but it got Ronan angered a bit.

"I'm. . . fi-" Elesis tried to say, before she started coughing. She quickly covered her mouth.

"Elesis!" Ronan cried out, but before he could move, Ryan hooked his scythe around Ronan and pulled him away. I watched a bit, before I turned back to Elesis, worried. She tried to get up, but simply fell back down.

"Is she alright?" I heard Ryan asked from behind. Before I could answer, Lire asked, "Is that good for him?" Immediately, I turned around and saw Ronan hanging from a tree. I simply stared, as Ronan made a gagging sound. Ryan quickly took him down from the tree.

I walked over to Elesis and knelt at her side and began to rub her stomach a bit.

"Ow, stop. . ." she complained.

"W-" I started, before I changed my mind. This was bad. How long was she pregnant for?! "Lire, help me carry Elesis."

"W-Why?"

"Just do it! Now!"

Lire quickly came over and helped me pick Elesis up.

"Do you want me to help?" Lass offered, as he was wiping away tears.

"C'mon," I said to Lire, before I addressed the boys. "Sorry, but no following. Not even you, Lass."

Lass nodded slowly, as Ryan waved and said, "Have fun!" I wanted to smack Ryan, but I couldn't. I had more important things to attend to, and this was urgent. Very, very urgent.

–

I could hear the boys as I was heading back. I saw that Ronan was asleep.

"So how are you feeling, Lass?" Ryan asked.

"I'm feeling a lot better. . ." he answered, before he began to cry again.

I came out of the bushes, but I tripped. Immediately, Ryan was at my side, helping me up.

Smiling weakly at him, I said, "H-Hi, Ryan. . ."

He realized something was wrong, based on my tone, no doubt. "What happened?"

I hesitated. I tried to conjure up the memory of what happened, but it was pushed back in my head a bit, so I struggled to remember.

Lass walked over, with a question in his eyes.

"She. . . I. . . I don't like curses?" I said. I definitely lost the two then.

Sighing sadly, I explained indirectly, "Let's just say. . . I wish we could defeat Kaze'aze once and for all, and. . . that Ronan and Elesis should just give up. . ."

Lass immediately guessed it. "The baby?!" I looked down, unable to meet anyone's eyes, least of all, Ronan's, but he was asleep.

Ryan looked over at Ronan.

"Can't you tell us?" Lass asked.

"It's just. . . so messy. . . and so bloody. . . It's lucky Arme put Elesis under a heavy slumber, or else. . ." I fell silent at that point. I didn't want to remember anymore. Looking up, I saw that Ryan and Lass looked quite upset.

"Poor Ronan," Ryan said softly. "He's going to be looking crestfallen again for a long time."

"Arme said. . . that it's a curse," I whispered.

"Can't it be lifted?" Lass asked, determined.

"Yes," I said, "with the absolute defeat of Kaze'aze. . ."

Lass looked surprised. "Excuse me, but what?!" I nodded.

"That'll take awhile," Ryan said, voicing my concern. I nodded once more.

Looking sympathetically at Ronan, Ryan said, "I'd hate to be him. Kind of sad to think that the oldest of Grand Chase is going through so much."

"I feel as if Lass and Ronan are the ones who've gone through the most," I said. "I mean, both have been under the influence of Kaze'aze before, Lass more than once."

I saw Lass walk over to Ronan, and began to shake him a bit.

"How's Elesis?" Ryan asked.

"Asleep," I told him again. "Arme's cleaning everything up so it won't be so. . . messy. . . when she wakes up."

"I see," Ryan said. We both could hear the cries of mourning.

"Poor Ronan," I said softly. I looked over at the two, who were on the other side of the clearing. What I saw shocked me.

It looked as if Lass was wrestling Ronan, pinning him to the ground!

"What's going on?" Ryan asked, alarmed. The both of us went over.

Lass had Ronan pinned to the ground, and Ronan was crying a river.

"Lass, what happened?" I asked urgently.

"You two, grab his weapons!" Lass cried out. "He's trying to kill himself!"

"What!" I cried out, and quickly grabbed the tyrfing Ronan used. Ryan, shocked as well as I was, grabbed the sword and shield and the glaive, while Lass kicked the spell sword into the bushes.

"Ronan, don't kill yourself!" I said.

"Let me go!" he cried out, ignoring me.

"Ronan, calm down, please, it's not the end of the world!" Lass said. Ronan ignored Lass as well. Ronan was swearing, trying to break free of Lass' grip.

"If you kill yourself," I said, trying to reason with Ronan, "what do you think you'll end up doing to Elesis?" Upon the mention of Elesis, Ronan stopped struggling, looking over at me. "Do you think your death will do any good?"

Ronan turned his head from me as I continued.

"You must be real stupid if you think suicide is the answer!"

He looked disappointed now. In fact, his eyes seemed almost lifeless now. No, that wasn't the response I wanted out of him!

"Ronan, snap out of it!" Ryan cried out, dropping the weapons.

"Oh, don't be like that!" I snapped. "That's even worse!"

Ronan just shut his eyes tightly, tears still streaming from them.

"There's no point in ignoring me," I continued. I heard Arme coming back. "Why don't you go see Elesis? And if you say or do anything stupid, know that _I'll _be the one cooking your ass this time!"

"You are _not_ killing yourself!" Lass added. Ronan gave a slight nod.

"If you do," I said, adding to what Lass said, "then most likely you'll be the cause of Elesis' death!"

Lass stood up, letting Ronan go. Slowly, he got up, almost looked as if he were lifeless, and went off in the direction Arme was.

"Should someone follow him?" I said, concerned. I wasn't too sure that Ronan would stay alive.

"I will," Lass said. He turned invisible, his soft footsteps betraying where Lass was.

Arme sighed. "I remember when I threatened Lass when he used that. . . He's too dear to me now. I wonder how it became this way?"

Ryan chuckled a bit.

–

Why her, why us, why any of us?!

"E-Elesis?" I called out.

"Ro. . . an. . ." she answered, so softly, so weakly. I began to cry again. She looked so fragile, so delicate, and it was all my fault!

"Elesis, this is my fault," I told her.

"No. . . Kaze. . . It's. . . Kaze. . . aze. . ." she said. Kaze'aze. . . That witch can burn in hell!

I just kept crying, biting my lip a bit.

"Don't. . . Don't cry, Ronan. . ." Elesis said, looking up at me.

"You're right. . ." I said. What use was it to cry. . . "I'm just glad you're alright, Elesis. . ."

I rubbed the tears from my eyes, and hugged her tightly. "I. . . I love you so much. . ."

"I love you too, Ronan. . ." she whispered. Elesis sounded a bit stronger now. That was good. "Please. . . don't be stupid and kill yourself. . ."

No, I couldn't do that. Not after what Lire said. It was probably. . . no, it was simply true. She loved me too much, and I loved her too much. We would die without the other, I realized. I felt selfish. As long as my beloved Elesis was alive, then I would be happy.

A single though raced through my head.

"I won't," I told her. "I'll live with you until I die a fair, happy death. . . with you by my side. . ."

My tears had stopped flowing, and I wiped away the rest of the tears on my face as I got ready to ask Elesis.

"Elesis," I whispered, "would you marry me?"

I felt her stiffen with shock in my embrace.

"I. . . Wh-Wha? D-Did you. . . just ask me. . ." Elesis pulled away a bit, looking at me, before she hugged me and answered, "Y-Yes Ronan. . . I'll marry you."

Never had I felt so happy in my entire life. I could feel the tears coming back, but this time, they were tears of joy.

"Oh, Elesis," I whispered. However, Elesis soon fell still. I immediately became scared.

"El-Elesis?" I whispered. Did she. . .?

My fears were pointless. She began to snore lightly. I gently put her down, smiling, and took off my cloak and covered Elesis with it. I laid down next to her, and soon fell asleep myself.


	26. Chapter 25: Surprise Arrival

**Author's Note**: Well, this chapter would've been up sooner, but my internet died. And now school's started. Whee. Expect updates to maybe slow after chapter 29 is up. Why 29? I typed up chapters 26-29 and a half yesterday after I played Fate: Undiscovered Realms. Was fun slicing up crystal beetles.

--

I was the first to notice Lass coming back. He looked quite exhausted.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"Oh, he didn't kill himself," Lass said. That was good.

"What happened?" Lire asked.

Lass looked happy as he answered.

"Ronan asked Elesis to marry him."

"He did?!" Lire exclaimed. She seemed excited for the two. "Oh, that's so sweet! Looks like there's two marriages coming!"

She was right, and I would never forget that.

Lass nodded.

"Hey, Lass, maybe you and Arme should!" Lire suggested.

"W-What?!" Lass said, flustered.

Arme, embarrassed, cried out, "B-But there's already t-two weddings going on!"

"Yeah?" I said. She was quite right. "It can be a triple wedding, eh?"

"It's still going to be at the Elven Forest though!" Lire said.

"Of course!"

Probably as an excuse to get away for a bit, Arme said, "I'm going to check on those two." She meant Ronan and Elesis, most likely, and headed off to find them.

I noticed Lass look longingly at her a bit, before he sat down under a tree.

"Hey Lass, how does your heart feel?" Lire asked.

Not hearing, Lass said, "Huh? What?" Lire repeated what she said.

"O-Oh, it's feeling better than I'd ever think it'd be," he answered with a smile. Then he looked down at his feet.

"I wonder what Arme went through to find the cure for you," Lire mused aloud. Lass didn't say anything, but I had to wonder as well. We didn't have much time to think, though, as we heard Arme coming back. She seemed to be hiding her face however.

"Arme!" Lire asked. Then she became a bit worried when Arme didn't say anything. "Uh, is something the matter?"

She paused before answering. "Next time, I'm sending someone to check on the lovebirds."

Lire didn't say anything, but Lass let out a small cry. Of surprise, I wasn't sure. I, however, snickered a bit, quite amused at what Arme probably saw. I quickly stopped when I noticed Arme's penetrating glare.

"I hope they finish soon," Arme muttered. "I want to leave this place."

Lass, who was sitting against the tree, lowered himself so that was on his back. He seemed to have been trying to fall asleep, but I noticed his eyes were open. Then he turned away.

Arme walked over to Lass and sat next to him. He didn't say anything.

"Hi Lass," Arme said. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. . ." Lass shifted his position a little.

"You don't seem fine," Arme said, before she laid down and faced him. "Please, what's wrong?"

"I'm. . ." Lass hesitated. "I'm fine, Arme. . ."

"I-I don't believe you," Arme said, slightly hurt. "Please, can't you tell me?"

Lass curled up a bit, and wrapped his arms around his legs. He pressed his face to his knees.

"I was just thinking about what Ronan did – while I was there, that is – and what Lire said."

"W-What?" Arme asked.

"You know. . . the. . ." His last word was muffled by his knees.

"But," Arme said, "why does that make you so. . . upset?"

"It's not really. . . that I'm upset," he started.

"But. . .?"

"It's more that it put me in deep thought. . ."

"And what is it making you think?"

"N-Nothing."

Lass fell silent. Arme sighed and hugged Lass.

"Lass, I love you," she told him, "but I want to know when something's wrong. . . Then maybe I can help you, because I don't want to see you like this. I want to see you happy and smiling, because then it makes me happy too, knowing you're smiling. . ."

Lass looked at her a bit, before he said, "I love you, too. . ." He turned his face away from her, but he was trembling. Most likely he was crying.

"Lass," Arme called, kissing his cheek. He turned a bit to see her.

"Please, what's wrong?" she tried asking, again. I could tell that Arme was trying not to cry. In fact, crying was a rare thing for Arme to do.

Lass turned over and held her tightly.

"Nothing, I'm fine now," he assured her. "I promise."

Not believing him, but deciding he wouldn't answer, Arme just said, "F-Fine," and buried her face in his chest. I could hear her crying.

Lass smiled a bit, not because she was crying. "I'm glad that I have you, Arme. . ."

"A-And I'm glad t-that I have y-you, Lass. . ." Arme said between sobs. "You're the only one th-that makes me feel t-this way. . ." She tried to press herself closer.

Lass kissed Arme on the forehead, as she fell asleep. "Good night, Arme. . ." He soon fell asleep as well.

As soon as I was sure the two were fast asleep, I said, "Who would ever think that Lass would end up with Arme, his ex-tormentor?" I tapped my chin thoughtfully.

"I remember when Arme used to just Firestorm him practically to death," Lire said.

"Poor Lass!" I cried out, as I remembered him getting roasted. The smell was never pleasant. "I felt sorry for him, but I guess we can be happy he's found love in his life that he's longed for, for so long."

"I find it a bit ironic that it turned out to be Arme of all people, y'know?" Lire said. I simply nodded.

A rustling in the bushes interrupted my thoughts.

"Huh? What was that?" I asked. Lire looked over to the spot.

"If it's a monster, it's so dead," I heard her mutter.

Then, something red poked out, and it seemed sharp. I wasn't sure what it was. Lire immediately went over to it and pulled on it. The sound grew noisier, and it was accompanied by a cry of pain. Lire tried to pull it out all the way this time.

"Ow, ow!" it seemed to cry. "Let go of my hair!"

Lire looked puzzled. Soon, she got it all the way out and it turned out to be. . . Jin. He stumbled out as Lire kicked him.

"Ow!" Jin cried out. "Good thing I'm super buff!" Lire just kicked him harder.

"Does he never go away?!" she cried out in dismay.

"If you mean me, maybe," Jin answered, despite the fact that Lire wasn't actually addressing the red-headed fighter.

"Just go away!" Lire screamed.

"C-Can't you forgive me?" Jin asked meekly.

"I know I'm not!" Lire stated. I came over to Jin, and threw my ax at Jin. He managed to dodge it in time.

"Hey, watch it!" Lire cried out. "I was holding him by his hair!"

"Sorry, reflex," I apologized.

"Well, at least you didn't hit me."

I just chuckled, a bit nervous.

Jin began to mutter something under his breath, prompting Lire to ask, "What was that?" She pulled on his hair.

"Nothing!" he yelled out, while crying in pain.

"You better tell me if you want to live!"

"I swear it's nothing!"

"It better be nothing!" Lire said threateningly, before kicking Jin in the crotch. Ouch.

"What am I, the new Lass?" Jin squeaked, after a minute of crying in pain.

"Yes, in a way," Lire answered. "Except no one's going to fall in love with you!" She nearly yelled the sentence out.

"Ouch, that's harsh," Jin said, pretending to look hurt.

"Indeed," Lire agreed. "Now, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for someone." Jin looked as if he were hiding something.

"And who exactly is that?" Lire demanded. When Jin didn't answer, Lire yelled, "Tell me who, and this arrow won't go up your ass!" She held up an arrow, the point gleaming in the sun.

"Kaze'aze!" he screamed, squirming.

After a bit of silence, Lire asked, "Why are you looking for her?"

"She has something of mine."

"What is it?"

Jin simply stared at Lire before answering. "That's personal."

Lire thought for a moment. "Well, if it is. . ." She then proceeded to drop Jin, who ended up landing on top of someone who was crawling out of the bushes.

"Oops," Lire said.

"Hey!" It turned out to be Elesis. "Watch it!" She proceeded to knock Jin off her back.

"Why the hell are things being dropped on me?" Elesis demanded.

"Didn't see you there, sorry," Lire said. Then she asked, "Where's Ronan?"

"He was behind me. . ." Elesis looked behind her. Ronan was stuck in some brambles. He sneezed. Elesis immediately went over and helped him out. "You okay, Ronan?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ronan answered.

"Huh," I said. "I hope you're still not suicidal." Elesis looked at me, as if to ask "What happened?"

Suddenly, Jin got up and began to walk somewhere. Before he got far, however, Elesis tripped him. He fell on his face, and when he looked up, it was as if he came out of a daze.

"Huh? What happened?" Jin asked. Elesis simply snickered.

"Ow, my head. . ." Jin complained, before he got up once more and began walking again, almost as if he were following an invisible line.

"Where is he going?" Elesis asked.

"He said something about Kaze'aze," I answered.

"Kaze'aze?" Elesis repeated.

Jin tripped again, but this time over a rock. "Ow! Huh? What happened?" he asked, again. Jin got a kick from Elesis as an answer.

"You're headed off to find Kaze'aze, are you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think," Jin answered, after he let out a cry of pain.

"You think?!"

"Yeah, the idea just popped in my head one day, and I can't remember the last time I slept." Jin then got up and resumed walking again.

"Uh," Elesis said, "I don't want to sound like I care, but you shouldn't do this if you haven't slept."

Jin didn't seem to hear her, as he kept walking, so Elesis went over to Jin and tripped him again.

"Huh, what happened?" he asked for the third time at least. "I could've sworn I was over there." Jin pointed to where he was. Elesis looked annoyed, and smacked him in the back of his head. Jin fell down, and was kicked by Elesis.

"You better come back to your senses before I cut your head off," she threatened.

"Uh, I don't think you should do that," Lire said. "And why were you two taking so long anyway?"

"I think I should, and none of your business," Elesis answered.

"Don't kill him," Lire said.

"I won't," Elesis said. "I'll just. . ." She took out her sword. "C'mere, Jin." Elesis sounded so. . . innocent. Which meant she was up to something.

Jin looked hesitant. Suddenly, Elesis ran at Jin and swung her sword. Luckily, Jin managed to dodge the swing, but just barely.

"What the hell!" Jin yelled.

"What the hell indeed," Elesis muttered, before she screamed, "Get your ass back here Jin!"

"Ronan, stop her before she kills him!" Lire yelled.

"Uh, yeah!" Ronan said, before he grabbed Elesis, holding her back.

I was frightened.

"I'm scared," Lire said. "I think it's like what happened back in the. . . the cave. . ." I nodded in agreement.

"Lemme go!" Elesis yelled, struggling and swinging her sword.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jin asked. "I know you'd want revenge, but don't fucking kill me!"

Glaring, Elesis answered, "Well, you aren't answering me, so I think you're up to something, so get the _fuck_ back here now!"

It almost seemed as if Jin fainted out of shock.

"What's with him?" I asked.


	27. Chapter 26: Leafy Attack

**Author's Notes**: Om nom nom

--

"Let me go!" Elesis screamed. I was afraid that it was just like what happened in the cavern.

Ryan dragged Jin someplace safe, a place Elesis couldn't get to him.

"I swear I'll kill him one day. . ." I heard her mutter.

"Calm down, Elesis," I said, gently.

"Elesis, you're scaring me," Ronan said.

"I'll fucking kill him if he gets near me," she muttered again, obviously not hearing us.

"Elesis, please!" Ronan shouted. "Please calm down!"

"Tell him not to come near me, or I might _accidentally_ kill him," she threatened.

Ronan closed his eyes, frustrated. I saw a tear roll down his cheek.

Elesis shook her head. "I. . . I'll. . . What. . . What happened?" Elesis looked as if she were waking from a daze.

"Elesis, are you. . . okay?" Ronan asked, wiping the tear away.

"I think?" she answered. "D-Did I do anything?"

"Well, you didn't do anything, but. . ." I said, hesitant.

"But. . . But what?" Elesis looked worried.

"Ronan?" I said, turning to him.

"You threatened him," he explained, "to take his life. . . It's like it was in the cave."

"I. . . I felt something," Elesis said. "It was. . . It was such a strong feeling, I felt as if I couldn't resist following what I felt. In fact, it was like back in the cave as well, but. . . I don't know what it was. . ."

Ronan looked puzzled. He blinked in confusion, before releasing Elesis, who fell over.

"E-Elesis?!" Ronan cried out.

"I feel faint. . ." she muttered.

"Maybe," I said, wondering, "it's part of the curse that Arme mentioned. . ."

As Ronan was helping Elesis up, she said, "I feel sick. . ."

"A-Are you going to vomit again?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I think." Elesis began to cough a bit.

Ryan came back, saying, "Maybe you should give her some air, Ronan."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Weren't you sick? What did you two do?"

"What?!" Ronan exclaimed.

"Arme found you two doing something," I explained, "and I'm thinking that during that, you made her sick."

I must've angered Ronan, because he looked as if he was about to attack me, but then he sighed.

"No. . . I-I'm fine," Elesis said. "I was. . . I was happy during that moment, and I still am." She tried to hug Ronan. He smiled, and hugged her gently.

Suddenly, Elesis turned limp.

"Elesis?!" both Ronan and I cried out. She gave no response.

"Elesis!" Ronan called again.

"W-What happened to her?!" I asked, bewildered.

"I-I don't know!" Ronan held Elesis closely, afraid to lose her it seemed.

"Check her pulse," Arme said, who seemed to have come from nowhere. Immediately, Ronan did.

"It's w-weak," he said, then asked, "Wh-What if she dies. . ."

"I-I could try and revive her. . ." Arme offered weakly.

"But she's not dead," Ryan said.

"I mean if she does."

"I hope she doesn't," I said softly. I really hoped Elesis wouldn't die.

Ronan sunk to the ground, still holding Elesis. He looked so upset. . .

"W-What can we do. . ." I asked hopelessly.

"Dammit, I wish I still had a bit of the potion left," I heard Arme mutter. Suddenly, I saw Jin, who had walked out of the bushes and seemed to be following that invisible line again.

"What do we do about Jin!" I cried out.

"Someone follow him," Arme simply said. Ryan sighed and said, "Alright."

"If it turns out he's working for Kaze'aze, do something," Arme explained. "I don't care what."

Ryan left us and followed Jin, who seemed to be walking faster than I thought he originally was. After the both were out of sight, Lass came over to Ronan and said, trying to reassure Ronan, "Elesis will be fine, Ronan. . . You just have to have faith." Ronan simply turned away.

Arme sighed and said, "I'll try some magic." She held up her staff as it began to glow, and muttered an incantation. I watched Elesis.

After a few minutes, she coughed slightly.

"What's wrong with her?" Lass asked.

"I have no clue," Ronan said flatly.

"Most likely part of being sick," Arme said, before muttering, "Unless it's more than just a sickness."

"Ronan," Lass said, "maybe you should give her some air." When Ronan didn't respond, Lass said, "Uh, take a walk?"

Before Ronan could, Elesis started to groan softly, and coughed again.

"Alright, fine," Ronan muttered. He kissed Elesis on the forehead before setting her down gently, and stood up.

"Don't worry, Ronan," Arme said. "I'll be here to make sure she's all right."

Ronan just nodded, before he walked off in some random direction.

Lass rubbed his head, muttering, "I wish I could help Ronan somehow."

"Lass, follow him to make sure something doesn't happen," Arme said.

Lass looked like he was about to protest, but he just nodded and turned invisible.

"I hope they're all alright," I said, watching Ronan disappear.

"I know you mean Elesis, but who else?" Arme asked.

"Well," I said thoughtfully, "Jin, despite the fact I hate his guts; Ryan, for following Jin to who-knows-where; Ronan, for what's happened to him lately, and of course, Lass."

"I worry about Lass the most, really," Arme admitted. "I mean, the potion _was_ supposed to cure him of his heart problem, but. . . I'm just so worried."

"Don't worry, you tried your best," I told her. "I'm sure that's all Lass can ever ask for."

"I guess." Arme didn't look reassured. "I just hope he's alright."

Not a moment too soon, Lass cried out from somewhere, "Egad!"

"What the hell? Lass?!" That was Ronan's voice. . .? There was an odd sound before, "Where are my weapons?!"

"They're back there!" Lass screamed.

"Do something!" Ronan screamed back.

"F-Final Strike!" Lass called out. The sound of compacted energy hitting the ground was heard.

"It's not dead! Ow, let go!"

"Hold on, I gotta – Ow, my foot!"

"Help!"

"Uh, I hear them screaming for help," I said, though it was obvious. "I'll go see what's up."

"Take Ronan's tyrfing," Arme said, "the idiot left it behind."

"Right." I picked up the tyrfing that lay abandoned on the ground, and ran in the direction I heard the yelling.

Soon, I saw the two, Ronan and Lass. They were being attacked by plants!

The plants were quite large, its head a dull green, streaked through with a deep orange-red. Their heads, looking a lot like a misshapen eggplant, were attached to long, thick, dark green vines that trailed up into the trees. It looked as if the plants had teeth that were green.

"I-I wonder if these are the adult version of the Carnivorous Plant Jr.'s. . ." I said. They certainly reminded me of those seed-spitting menaces. Deciding not to stall for too much longer, I began to shoot arrows at the plants, trying to get them to let go of their catches.

"Hey Ronan, catch!" I yelled out, as I threw his tyrfing over at him. Ronan caught it and began to stab the thick stem. Meanwhile, I let out an array of arrows that were glowing green. I was faintly aware of the green glow that sprouted from my back temporarily, as wings, indicating my Burst Shot move. Most of the arrows hit the plants, and some loosened their grip on Ronan and Lass.

"It's devouring my foot!" Lass yelled, though he looked more annoyed than worried. He took out one of his daggers and stabbed a bulge on the plant. It seemed as if that bulge moved slightly, almost as if it were blinking.

I shot the plant that had Lass multiple times, yelling at it, "Let go of him!" Then one plant grabbed Lass by his hair using a vine.

"No!" Lass cried. He was worried at his hair at a time like this?!

I shot an arrow at the vine, but the arrow skimmed by close to Lass' head, chopping off some of his hair. At least Lass's hair was a bit long.

"At least I don't need to worry about a hair cut. . ." Lass muttered. I noticed the ponytail was now gone.

I began to kick the plant as Ronan summoned his dragon. It incinerated a few of the plants, but there were still plenty more.

"Help!" I cried out as a vine wrapped around my ankle. "It has my foot!"

I saw a chain wrap around the vine.

"Hey, let go, stupid plant!" Lass yelled, tugging the chain. The vine loosened enough for me to pull my foot out. Then I noticed my shoe went missing.

"My shoe! It ate it!" I cried out. Now I had to go barefoot! I began stabbing a plant multiple times with my arrows. The same plant I was stabbing had Lass in its grasp. It looked like it was heaving, and then I realized it just threw Lass over a cliff!

"Ronan, get him!" I yelled. I was too slow to make it in time. I saw Ronan run over to the cliff and look down. I managed to get over to the cliff side and look down with him.

Lass was hanging onto a a Carnivorous Plant Jr.'s stem, as the plant tried to fit its mouth around Lass' head.

"Give me your hand!" Ronan cried out, reaching down.

"I-I can't!" Lass yelled up at him. "I'll fall!"

"Well that plant's not gonna last!" Ronan threw himself partially over the cliff and grabbed Lass' hand and began pulling.

I tugged a vine out a tree that didn't belong to one of the dead plants and tied it tightly around an arrow and dangled it down to Lass. He grabbed onto it as Ronan began to pull on that instead, and I began to help. I swore I heard the Carnivorous Plant Jr. whine before letting go of Lass, unable to hang on any longer.

Soon, Lass was back onto safe ground.

"My hair, my beautiful hair, covered in icky goop. . ." Lass whined. His hair was covered in spit, and I backed away quickly as he shook his head.

"Oh, just wash it, you big crybaby," I muttered.

"Man, that was-" Ronan began, before his stomach began to growl. I stared at him; he stared back. I was faintly aware of Lass complaining. Didn't Ronan eat recently?

"C'mon, let's go back before we turn into lunch," I said, fully aware of the moving foliage. Ronan stood up and grabbed the complaining Lass by the hair, dragging him along.

"My hair!" Lass cried out.

"Quit complaining!" I snapped. "Just get up and walk."

Lass pulled away from Ronan and rubbed his head a bit, which was wet and slimy.

"Want a hug?" he asked me, trying to get close.

"No, get the hell away from me you slimy freak," I said immediately, and walked off to the side in an attempt to avoid the slimy-haired Lass. He made a sniffling sound, as if he were about to cry.

"There's Arme," Ronan said, sheathing his tyrfing. Arme waved to us, probably not aware of what we had run into.


	28. Chapter 27: Fishy Encounter

**Author's Note**: Longest chapter ever. And even better (I think)? Next chapter is second longest. This chapter was like, 8 and 1/3 pages long, the next was about 7 3/4 long. Whoo!

--

The sight and smell of blood was still fresh in my mind as I waved to Lire, Lass, and Ronan. I tried not to show how I was feeling. When they were within earshot, I could hear Lire say, "Well, you should go take a bath now Lass. Somewhere. And try not to drown or get eaten by something." I shuddered a bit, not keen on wanting another death so soon, and especially not Lass'.

"Piranha?" Lass asked.

"Uh," Lire said, thinking a bit, "yeah."

"Tell Arme I'll be back," Lass said, before he walked off to a nearby river.

Lire came over to me and told me what I already knew. "Arme, Lass is going to be back sometime later."

I simply watched Lass head off, before I yelled, "Watch out for piranhas!" even though he was probably aware. Lass simply shook his fist at me for some reason.

"I hope he doesn't get eaten," I said.

"Eaten?" Lire asked.

"Yeah, there were piranhas last time I tried bathing, where Lass seems to be going," I stated.

"Should someone go after him?" Lire looked worried now.

"Uhm, send Ronan," I said. I looked over at Ronan, and he was collapsed next to Elesis. Okay, not him.

"Don't send me," Lire said, noticing the state Ronan was in.

"Fine," I said, getting up. "Watch over Elesis."

"Of course."

I made my way over to the river. The path wasn't long, and luckily, nothing got in my path. Soon, both the river and Lass came into sight. Lass had half his body in the water, and the other half out of it. I could feel myself get a tad hotter. Soon, Lass turned away and leaned forward a bit, eyes half closed.

"Uhm, hi Lass," I said meekly. Immediately, Lass disappeared under the water alarming me. I ran over to the water's edge, just as Lass' head popped out, face red.

"Ar-Arme?!" Lass said, embarrassed.

"Y-You scared me Lass," I said. I was trying not to look directly at Lass, but then I realized I couldn't see his body at all.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I-I just w-wanted to make sure t-the piranhas don't get you," I told him. My voice was quivering a bit, but I wasn't sure why.

"Huh? Did Lire tell you that?!" Lass asked. Then he put half of his face in the water.

"Tell me what? That you were going to the river?"

"About the piranha joke." The rest of his words came out a bit bubbly.

"Piranha joke?" I was really confused.

"Wait. There really piranhas in here. . .?" Lass asked, looking into the water.

"Uhm, yes," I answered. "I've been here before. I had to electrocute the water. . ."

Lass then let out a cry of surprise, before he went under water. Immediately, I grabbed Lass' hand as I pulled out my staff and stuck it under the water. I let out a small bolt of electricity that wouldn't harm Lass, but would hurt the piranhas.

"Ow, that hurt. . . Stupid fish," Lass muttered.

"A-Are you okay?" I asked. "Anymore piranhas?"

Lass fell back into the water. "I think they all swam away."

"G-Good," I said, relieved. I felt Lass' grip tighten on my hand. "Lass?"

"Huh?"

"Something wrong?"

"N. . . No. . ."

"A-Are you sure?"

Lass looked down into the water before he looked up at me. "Yes. . ."

"Positive?" I wanted to make sure he was fine.

"I'm. . ." Lass started, before he began to look hopeless. "I'm. . . I'm kind of scared. . ."

"W-Why? Is it because of your heart problem?" I asked, worried. "I-I mean, I did give you that potion and all. . ."

"I'm fine, that potion you gave me helped me," he told me. His grip tightened even more. "But. . . Kaze'aze. . . I have a really bad feeling that she's still after me. . ."

"Kaze'aze. . ." I said. She was the cause of our misery, each and every one of us. "I will do whatever it takes to end that witch's life."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Arme," Lass said.

"I'll be alright. . ." I told him. After all, I could look after myself.

Then I noticed something. It was faint at first, but now. . . The river! I realized that the current was gradually getting stronger and stronger.

"The river!" I cried out.

"Huh? W-What?!" Lass looked frightened. I could feel him grab my hand with both his now. "Holy. . .!"

"Get out of the river!" I yelled, as I began to pull Lass out. Suddenly, I felt something sharp bite into my rear end.

"What the fuck!" I cried out loudly, as I whacked the thing as hard as I could with my staff. It turned out to be a piranha. What the hell?!

The thing let go of me after being hit, and flopped onto Lass' face. I grabbed it by the tail and threw it back into the river.

Soon, half of Lass' body was out, but then it seemed as if something was trying to pull him back in. I looked into the water to see what it was. The river started to turn black, as a dark mist began emanating from a small antenna with a light attached to it that was sticking out of the water.

"It's a Hungry Ghost!" Lass cried out. I pulled at Lass again, but the fish-like thing wouldn't let go. I reached over to the Ghost and whacked at it with my staff.

"Let go of Lass!" I yelled. I saw a dark glob come over and hit both of our hands.

"It's gonna rape me!" Lass seemed hysteric now. I doubt it would've wanted to rape Lass. Then I had an idea.

Taking out my war staff, I reached down and let the fish bite the staff, which it did. As soon as it did, I let loose a stream of concentrated wind, my Air Blast. Immediately, the Hungry Ghost faded away. Finally, Lass came out of the water. I looked at Lass, relieved he was safe, before I immediately turned around.

Lass probably couldn't see my red face as I said, stammering, "G-Get dressed L-Lass. . ."

I heard the rustle of clothes, before Lass sighed.

"S-Something wrong?" I asked. I was still red.

"A-Ah, I guess. . ." he said, sounding tired.

"Wha-What is it?" I asked, again.

"I feel so targeted," he told me, "like I'm really wanted dead." Lass sighed again.

"You probably are," I admitted. "Do you have your pants on at least?"

"Y-Yes," Lass said, so I turned around and hugged him tightly.

"H-Huh?" He seemed surprised, but he hugged me back.

I sighed. "I need to find Kaze'aze and destroy her, so that we'll all be safe. From her, at least."

Lass hugged me more tightly. "Arme. . ." He leaned on me, weakly. "Thank you for all you've done to take care of me."

I felt like I was going to cry, but not because I was upset or anything.

"Y-You're welcome, Lass. . ." I whispered. More loudly, I said, "Let's. . . Let's. . . get back to the others, before something comes out of the water and attacks us. . ."

"O-Oh, alright," he said. Lass let go of me, but he didn't let go of my hand. I didn't try to pull it away, just walked beside Lass, back to the others.

When we got back, I looked at the others. Ronan was asleep, and I could see Ryan.

"Do you think Ryan lost track of Jin, Lass?" I asked.

Ryan turned out close than I thought, when he said, "Actually. . ." He pulled on a rope, in which Jin was tied on the other end. Jin's eyes scared me; they were white. He was possessed. Not knowing a better method, I whacked Jin with my staff. He fell over.

"He looks possessed," Lass stated.

"He didn't move when I threw my scythe at him, hence the wound on his back," I heard Ryan mutter.

"You probably killed him," I muttered back, before hitting Ryan on the head.

"I swear he's alive!" Ryan yelled, dropping the rope to dodge the blow. Immediately, Jin got up and ran, in the same direction he was trying to get to all day.

"Ah! Catch him!" Ryan cried out. I simply stepped on the rope, causing Jin to fall flat on his face.

". . .What. . ." I heard him say, the words muffled by the dirt. "What happened?" Jin rubbed his head as he sat up. Not answering, I picked the rope up and tugged it.

Jin fell down in my direction. "Hey!"

"You aren't going anywhere," I said.

"What do you mean?" Jin asked, confused.

"You keep going somewhere," I explained, "but we're not letting you go."

"Whatever," Jin just said. I tugged the rope more; Jin crossed his arms defiantly, so I tied the rope to Ryan's waist.

"T-What?!" Ryan cried out. "Why do I get stuck with the person who almost ruined my life?"

"Because I put you in charge of him," I answered. Ryan just started grumbling and tried to walk, and ended up dragging Jin with him.

"Bad luck," I heard Lass say.

"Well," I started, then just said, "Oh well."

"D. . . ie. . . Y. . . ki. . .ll. . . b. . . by. . ."

"What was that?" I asked, turning around.

"Kaze'aze!" Ronan yelled, asleep. I yelped. Then I noticed Ryan, Lass, and Jin staring at Ronan, while I went over and kicked him.

"G'ow!" he cried out.

"Sheesh!"

"What was that for. . .?" Ronan asked groggily.

"I think you were in a nightmare," I told him.

"I was having one of those mute nightmares where you try to scream but nothing comes out," he explained. Well, I knew it wasn't mute. . .

"Uh, yeah. . ." I said instead.

"Huh?" Ronan looked confused. Lass coughed once.

"Lass?" I turned to Lass, worried now.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay Lass?" I asked.

"I think I could have gotten a small cold from that, uh, incident," he told me.

"Why don't you have a shirt on?" Ronan asked. Neither of us answered.

"Oh, I get it!" Jin said, thinking he knew the answer. "You wanted to play with Arme!" He began laughing, a bit nervously.

I kicked Jin, causing him to flinch away, and ended up pulling Ryan a bit. Ryan, unexpecting the movement, fell over onto his back on top of Jin, who let out a cry.

"Oops," I said, before I snickered a bit.

Ronan rubbed his head sheepishly, then turned to look at Elesis, who was asleep.

"Don't worry," I told him, "I'm sure she's all right."

"I hope she is," I heard Ronan murmur, before leaning down to kiss Elesis. The action seemed to have caused Elesis to move in her sleep. In fact, she nearly hugged Ronan.

I saw Ronan's eyes widen, before he whispered her name. Ronan laid down next to Elesis and held her close, before closing his eyes.

"He loves her a lot," I heard Jin murmur.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "Hey, you shouldn't be talking!" I looked over to see Ryan, who had gotten up, whack Jin. He let out a cry of pain. I just tried not to laugh, as Lass muttered something about needing a new shirt.

"I think you're fine without a shirt, Lass," I teased. Lass just blushed, before his eyes wandered skyward. I looked up as well, and noticed something a bit to the east.

"What is that?" I asked, not taking my eyes off it.

"Huh?" Lass said.

I pointed at what I was talking about.

"I. . . don't know?" he said.

"It's Superman!" Jin cried out. Huh?

"Who's that?" Ryan asked.

Ignoring him, I said, "It's. . . a harpy?" It certainly looked like one, and not just any ol' harpy. . .

"No," Lire said, "it's the Harpy Queen! What's she doing here?!"

"Shoot it down!" Jin yelled.

I saw the arrows fly through the air, but the Queen easily dodged the arrows, screeching.

"What?! When did she get so smart?!" Lire cried out. Well, she probably knew that Lire would aim for her.

Lass performed a double jump in an attempt to get closer, and threw kunais; however the Harpy Queen easily dodged the sharp objects.

Ryan tried to jump, but Jin simply weighed the elf down. I took out my staff and tried to shoot out bolts of lightning at the winged monster, but they didn't reach.

I heard Ryan cry out. He had turned into the Nephilim and tried to fly, but he ended up severing the rope that tied him and Jin together.

"Oh, f-" Lire began, before she managed to catch Jin. However, he slipped out of her hands and fell to the ground.

"Ow, my foot!" Lire cried out, hopping up and down. "You landed on my foot!"

"Phew, sorry-" Jin began, before he got up and ran in the same direction. Luckily, he ran past me so I simply stuck my foot out and tripped him. As Jin landed, I grabbed the rope.

Ryan, meanwhile, began to throw energy spheres at the Queen. They impacted her squarely on the chest. She screeched, before flying off. Satisfied, Ryan transformed back to himself.

"Where is it going?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, but we need to leave," I said. The rope grew taut in my hands, and I realized Jin was moving again, so I tripped him. However, he used to rope to pull me forward.

"Help!" I cried out.

Immediately, Lass jumped to my aid and began pulling the rope.

"Uh, he's kinda heavy," Lass said.

"Just don't let him drag me away!" I said. Ronan came over, apparently awake, and pulled Jin back to us.

"Phew, thanks Ronan," I said.

"I'm meant for speed, not strength!" Lass complained.

"And I'm meant for magical power," I muttered under my breath.

"And I'm meant for strength!" I heard Ronan say from behind us. "Unfortunately, so is Jin. . ." Turning around, I saw that Jin had Ronan in a headlock. Then I noticed Lire walk over to Elesis and kicked her in the side. Elesis kicked Lire back and sat up.

"What the hell do you want, Lire," Elesis asked, half asleep. Lire pointed at Ronan and Jin.

"Let go!" Ronan cried out, flailing his arms.

Elesis went over to the two and leaped onto Jin's back. Jin let go of Ronan and then grabbed Elesis, tossing her on top of Ronan.

"Oh, fuck you too," Elesis said icily, before kicking Jin in the crotch, though it didn't seem to do anything.

Ryan cried out, "What the hell?!" before turning into a wolf and pinned Jin to the ground.

Ronan shook his head and rubbed his forehead as he said, "Don't hurt him! And Elesis, don't kill him!"

"Too bad!" Elesis cried out, before taking out her sword.

"Not again!" Lass said, before grabbing her sword arm.

"Let me go!" Elesis yelled, kicking Lass. I went over and shoved Elesis to the ground and sat on her back.

"Off me now," Elesis said. I didn't do or say anything.

"That hurt!" Lass complained while holding his side.

"Good!"

"Oh yeah?!" I'll sit on your head!" Lass threatened.

"I'd like to see you try!" Elesis said, before she managed to get her hand free and began waving her sword around. Lass flinched and backed away a bit.

"You better not cut me up," I said, trying to avoid the sword while staying on Elesis' back. Then Ryan, still a wolf, stepped on her arm.

"Ow, get off me, you fat wolf!" Elesis yelled.

"He is _not_ fat!" Lire cried out. I could see that Ryan was trying hard to restrain his temper.

"Wait, if you're pinning down Elesis, where's. . ." Ronan began, before he got tackled by Jin.

Startled, and a bit out of habit, I used Stone Curse on the two of them. Jin struggled to break free of his stone prison.

"Why me?!" Ronan cried out, slightly muffled by stone. "Get him off of me!"

"Okay, someone separate those two while they're frozen," I said. Lass went over and dragged Jin away to a tree, and tied him up. By then, Jin was free of the stone and began struggling. Ronan, however, was still petrified.

"Stone Curse doesn't last that long," I muttered.

"What's up?" Lass asked, poking the petrified Ronan. I just shrugged as I undid the magic.

"Get the hell off me Arme," Elesis said.

"No," I answered.

"I said get the hell off!" she screamed.

"I said no!" I screamed back, and whacked Elesis with my staff. She cried out in pain. Ronan grabbed my arm suddenly.

"Go take a nap!" I snapped, seemingly at Ronan. He flinched slightly, but didn't let go. My staff began to glow, and then Elesis fell unconscious.

"Elesis!" Ronan cried out, letting me go finally. "Arme, that wasn't necessary!"

"Yes it was!" I said. "She was acting dangerous. Every time Jin does something like this, Elesis seems to go out of control."

Jin's eyes betrayed the fact that he was possessed.

"She. . . doesn't normally act this way, right?" Lire asked.

"Well," I said, "she's acted stupid before, but then again, it was nothing like this." I saw Lass kicking Jin.

"Hu-Huh?!" Jin seemed to be himself again, but for how long? He looked around. "Ah, what happened?"

"You keep acting stupid," I told him.

"Why am I tied to a tree?!" he asked, bewildered.

"You keep trying to go somewhere, but we're no-" I began, before I was cut off by earsplitting screeches. I covered my ears as I asked, "What the hell was that?!"

"Ow, my ears!" Jin cried out.

I looked up.

"Harpy. . . swarm. . ." I said.

The sky was turning as black as the bodies of an enormous group of harpies filled the air, filling the forest with their screeching.


	29. Chapter 28: Harpy Attack

**Author's Note**: Last chapter for awhile, unless I finish chapter 29 before Sunday's over. Two PoV, but I don't think I need to say who's who.

--

I turned my muzzle to the harpy-filled sky and let out a long howl.

"What are they doing?!" Ronan asked hysterically.

Immediately, Lire hugged me tightly after I stopped howling. "Please don't let them get me!" I held Lire close to me.

I saw Arme kicking Elesis while yelling, "W-Wake up. . . N-Now!"

Elesis sat up slowly. "Ugh, my head. . ." She turned to the sky. "Holy. . . crap. . . What the hell is going on?"

"My head. . ." Jin said. "It feels like it's going to explode! Make it stop!"

Arme began to issue out commands to us, though technically, her orders were already what we all planned. "Ronan, take Elesis and run. Ryan, take Lire and run. And Lass. . . Uh, take Jin and run." Then Arme began to run, herself.

Ronan nodded, before he grabbed Elesis and ran west. Elesis let out a small sound, of surprise?

Meanwhile, I managed to get Lire onto my back before I began to run. I could feel Lire grab ahold of my fur tightly. Ow.

"Shit, what?!" I heard Lass cry out.

"Cut it, dammit!" Jin yelled.

I realized I was running fairly close to Ronan and Elesis, though the trees blocked our view from each other.

"W-What's going on, Ronan?" Elesis asked.

"The harpies are acting weird!" Ronan answered.

"Don't ask questions!" I yelled out. "Just run!"

"I can't exactly run while I'm being carried, Ryan. . ." Elesis said. I just let out a small whimper.

"W-Where's my sword, I'm g-gonna fight them!" Elesis said, though her voice betrayed her fear.

"No!" Ronan cried out.

"L-Let go of me, Ronan!"

"I can't do that, Elesis!"

"I c-can fight them!" She obviously was too scared right now to try. I doubt even Elesis could fight a mob of harpies like this and win.

"Where's Jin and Lass?" I asked, before I looked back. "I see a swarm heading towards us!"

"I-I hope they didn't get caught!" Lire yelled.

"Let me go, Ronan! I can take them!" Elesis yelled. She sounded a bit braver now, but I still doubted she could take on the harpies and live.

"I can't let you get hurt, Elesis, I have to protect you," Ronan said, trying to explain. "You haven't been acting too well lately, either!"

"W-What do you mean by that?!" Elesis asked.

Before Ronan could answer, Jin and Lass burst out of the trees, Jin half pulled, half dragged, followed by the largest mob of harpies I had ever seen.

Lire yelled out. "They're closer than I thought!" I felt her bury her face in my fur. I was feeling so hot with all this fur, but I could hardly run as myself.

"T-That's t-the mob of h-harpies?!" Apparently Elesis thought it wasn't that big of a swarm. Well, she was wrong.

"I swear I saw Amy!" Lass screamed. "I'm gonna die!"

"Amy, where?" Jin asked. He looked dizzy and confused.

Then, as if on cue, Amy popped out of the bushes, being chased by harpies.

"There's the pumpkin-faced monster," Elesis muttered.

Jin tried to pull away from Lass, only to receive a bonk on the head with a scimitar.

"So heavy!" Lass complained. Suddenly, Jin tripped, taking Lass with him. The harpies seized their chance and fell upon them like vultures.

"Lass!" Arme yelled out, from out of nowhere, and shot out bolts of lightning, her Shockwave Force. Lass tried to attack, but there were way too many. Some of the harpies broke away, hurt, but were replaced almost immediately. Lire tried shooting arrows at them, but they were hardly fazed.

"Dammit, they're after us!" Lass cried out. "I knew it! Take Elesis and run!" Lass tried to turn invisible, but the harpies didn't give him a chance.

"Waugh, let me go!" Elesis cried out. I could tell she was scared, but she tried to act brave. "I'll fight them!" She struggled against Ronan's grasp.

"Deep Impa-" Arme began, but a harpy attacked her, knocking the poor girl to the ground. Ronan was about to summon a Valkyrie, but he stopped and tried to help Arme up. However, Elesis fell out of his grip then.

Taking her chance, Elesis took out her sword and charged at the harpies.

"N-No, there's t-too many. . ." Arme said weakly.

"No, Elesis!" Ronan cried out.

Suddenly, the Harpy Queen appeared in front of Elesis.

"Y-You again. . ." Elesis said, startled. "I thought we burnt you to a crisp. . ."

The Harpy Queen cackled. Her voice was like ice. "You thought wrong, little girl. I survived, thanks to lady Kaze'aze. And now, my army and I are here to take you all back to Kaze'aze's Castle! Especially the red-haired boy, and Kaze'aze's most favorite human. Get them, my harpies!"

"You aren't taking u-" Elesis started, before the harpies swarmed Elesis, cutting her off.

Stopping, I put Lire down and howled. I growled at the harpies and slipped into the mess of feathers and stood in front of Elesis.

"Back off!" I snarled. The harpies swarmed us both, covering my vision with feathers.

"No!" I heard Lire cry out, and the whiz of arrows as they made contact with the harpies. Some fell to the ground with a heavy _thump_ but I knew it was no use.

"It's no use, brats!" the Harpy Queen said, cackling. "You are vastly outnumbered!"

"Lire, p-please run!" I yelled out, still shielding Elesis. Why wasn't she doing anything?! She was the one who wanted to take on the harpies in the first place? Was. . . Was Elesis knocked out?

"No, don't eat me," I heard Lass say, though his voice seemed groggy. "Devil fiiiiish!"

Through the mob of harpies, I could see Jin, who was practically untouched.

"Ryan. . ." I heard Lire call out in vain, before her footsteps disappeared into the distance.

Soon the harpies picked Jin up.

"Ronan. . . run. . ." I could faintly hear Lire say. Her voice sounded flat. . . My heart ached. "Run, before they decide to kill you. . ."

"Elesis. . . I. . ." Ronan seemed torn between staying and trying to protect Elesis and listening to both me and Lire. He picked Arme up and said, I'm. . . sorry. . ." before he ran.

One of the harpies hit me in the side of my head with its claws, causing me to revert back to my elven self.

"I'm. . . sorry. . ." I muttered faintly. I fell onto my back. Elesis had her hands held protectively over her head. A harpy that came too close to her got bit, but it moved away at the last second, giving Elesis a mouth full of feathers. She spat them out.

It almost sounded as if the harpies were laughing at us, relishing their victory. . .

"My Queen," I heard the Harpy Queen say, in a more subdued tone, "are you there, in that boy right now?"

"Of course, my faithful minion," I heard Jin say gleefully. It seemed like Kaze'aze had possessed Jin. He laughed wickedly as the harpies put the possessed Jin down. "Now, let us return to my glorious castle where your reward awaits."

I heard the shuffle of feathers as the Harpy Queen spoke again. "We will get the rest later, milady, but for now, victory is ours."

We lost. For now.

–

My throat stung as I ran, fast as I could. I carried Arme in my arms as I ran deeper and deeper into the forest. I hoped the harpies weren't gaining. Soon, I collapsed, unable to run any farther, out of both exhaustion and grief. I had to leave Elesis behind. . . My heart felt like it would rip apart. Would I ever see her again?

Arme groaned slightly. "W-What happened. . ."

Lire collapsed near me, and she began to cry for her love, Ryan. I soon fell over, on top of Arme. I could hardly move. I was barely aware of anything.

"Get him off of me!" I heard Arme yell. If only I could, Arme, if only I could. Soon everything fell black.

I think I fell asleep then. My dream was very, very short. I thought I saw a person, but she wasn't anyone I ever saw before. Actually, I couldn't even see her _features_ before I realized I couldn't breathe.

"Wake up!" I heard someone scream.

"I'm awake," I said, opening my eyes and shoving someone's hand away from me. They had plugged my nose up, preventing me from breathing. I tried to stand up, but my legs gave in, and I fell over.

"Are you okay?" Arme asked me.

"I'm tired. . ." I answered truthfully. "I can't go on. . ." I began to cough again.

"I forgot you were sick. . ." Arme said. I forgot as well. "I'll try and heal you as much as I can." For that, I was grateful. Somehow, I managed to crawl over to a nearby tree and sat against it.

"Oh, Ryan, Ryan, why did I have to leave you behind. . ." I heard Lire say. She was still upset over her loss. Personally, I think all three of us were.

"I gotta take care of you both," Arme sighed. "I hope Lass is okay. . ."

I tried not to think about Elesis too much. Looking up, I saw the moonlight filter down on us through the leaves.

"I-I think we should rest. . ." Lire said. At least she had stopped crying.

"I'm worried about the others. . ." Arme said.

"Me too, but. . ." Lire yawned. "I'm so tired. . ."

I turned over and tried to fall asleep.

"I guess we should sleep. . ." was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

I woke up sometime later. My sleep was plagued with nightmares. . .

"N-No!" Arme screamed. How long had she been yelling for? I threw a Dust Chip at her, waking her up.

"Stop yelling in your sleep, sheesh," I said, vexed. "At least it's morning."

"I-I had. . . a bad dream. . ." Arme said. She looked around, as if she were still in it.

"Oh, you too?" I hope I didn't scream in my sleep.

"Y-Yeah. You had one too?"

"I won't go into specifics. . ." I shuddered. No way did I want to think about it. "What was yours about though? Seemed bad. . ."

Arme looked around again, hesitant. "I-I had a dream that Lass was locked up somewhere. . . He had shackles around his wrists and ankles, and Jin was beating him up, laughing insanely. . . In the end, before I woke up, Jin put his hand to Lass' chest and pulled out a light-blueish aura out of him. . . It solidified into a jewel. Jin took it as Lass. . . fell over, limp. . . but was still breathing. . ." I shuddered again. Maybe Arme's was worse, but I didn't want to find out.

I felt someone kick me. Looking for who it was, it turned out to be Lire. She was apparently still asleep.

Standing up, using the tree to support me, I was about to ask when Lire began yelling a bit.

"Guess she's having one too. . ." Arme noted. I looked up at the tree and grabbed a small branch, slicing it off cleanly with my tyrfing and used it to help me stand.

"Is your leg that badly hurt?" Arme asked.

"I guess. . ." I looked down at my legs. My pants were slightly torn, probably from running. Arme tried to heal me a bit with her magic.

"Thanks," I said, then shook my head hopeless. "What do we do now. . ."

"I think. . ." Arme hesitated. I was afraid of what she was going to suggest. "I think we should. . . go to Kaze'aze's Castle. . ."

"R. . . Right. . ." I said. "We should wake Lire up."

Arme nodded and went over Lire and nudged the elf with her foot. "Wake up. . ."

Lire yelled as she woke up. I winced a bit.

"Ow, my ears," Arme said, slightly annoyed.

"S-Sorry," Lire said softly. Then she looked around. "Are we being attacked?

"No, it's morning," I said, adding, "No breakfast unless you're a vegetarian, eh?" as I heard her stomach growling.

"Well. . . I'll go find something to eat," she said, walking off.

"Yeah, yeah, just hurry it up," Arme said uneasily. Lire made no sign that she heard as she disappeared from view. I gripped my armor a bit, looking around the forest. I felt nervous.

"She better come back soon. . ." Arme muttered. "I don't want to stay in this forest any longer."

Lire came back almost immediately after Arme said that.

"Okay, let's go." I wonder what she ate? Then I put the thought out of my head. Maybe I didn't want to know.

"Right. . . Ronan, c'mon," Arme said.

I began to follow behind the two girls.

"If you fall, we'll catch you."

Lire nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," I said.

"What do you think happened to the others. . ." Lire wondered after a few minutes of walking.

"I. . . try not to think about it," Arme simply said. I just looked away.

"H-Hey," Lire said. "I s-see the castle. . ."

Immediately looking up, I stared at the castle, then began to run, but I tripped. I forgot I was wounded.

"Ronan!" Arme cried out. "You're still injured!" No duh about that.

"It's just. . . Elesis. . ." was all I said.

"You shouldn't rush things though. . ." Arme told me.

"I know, I'm sorry. . ." I tried standing up with Arme's help.

"You're not gonna be able to fight like this," Arme stated as she used her magic on me again. I looked down in disappointment. "I see."

No one spoke again for awhile.

"Maybe we should wait," Arme said, breaking the silence.

"Wait?" I asked. "Why?"

"I'm afraid they might now what we're doing," Arme said. "I don't want us to run into an ambush."

"Oh, yeah," I agreed. Made sense. Then I heard something, "Wha-Hide!" I jumped into the bushes, and saw Lire and Arme do the same. I could hear screeches.

Soon, a small swarm of harpies pass by with someone in their clutches. I caught a glimpse of red.

"I-Is that. . .?" Lire whispered.

"Elesis?!" I cried out. Summoning all of my strength and ignoring the pain, I jumped out of the bushes, only to be pulled back by Arme.

"Do you want to get captured as well?!" Arme scolded. I looked down. "Sorry. . ." I got too excited.

"You'll just hurt yourself and put everyone in danger. . ." Arme said, more softly. "You should just wait."

"Yeah, okay. . ."

"Looks like they're heading to Kaze'aze's Castle," Arme noticed.

"Where's Ryan," I heard Lire murmur. I looked around.

"Th-There's another swarm," I said. "Looks like there are some difficulties with them.

"Get back deeper into the bushes, they might see us," Arme whispered. I hid myself once again, as the another swarm came flying by. This mob seemed to be attacking their captor still, and it looked like they were putting up quite the fight.

"I-Is that Ryan?" Lire asked, hopeful.

"I'm not sure. . ." Arme answered. "Might be Ryan or Lass. . ."

In fact, it wasn't either of them. It turned out to be pink. Amy!

". . . Amy got caught?!" Arme said in disbelief.

"Let me go you stupid birds!" Amy yelled out. I simply stared, not really interested.

"I wonder what they want with Amy. . ." Lire asked.

"Should we help. . ." I asked flatly.

Soon, a third mob came by, this time with Ryan.

"Ryan!" Lire called out softly. I saw that Amy was kicking at the harpies.

"Letmegoletmegoletme_go_!" Amy yelled, still struggling. Eventually, the harpies, annoyed, dropped Amy into the river, and went to help the third mob with Ryan, but still continuing their path to the castle.

"Oh, go to hell, harpies!" Amy threw her violin at them. Bad idea.

The harpies screeched at her, before unloading their. . . bombs on her, and flew off.

"Ewewew_ew_!"

"Ryan!" Lire cried out.

I would love to help Amy out, but, uh. . .

Lire looked ready to shoot the harpies with her arrows.

Sensing what Lire was going to do, Arme said, "Don't, Lire, you'll give us away."

"B-But I have to save Ryan!" Lire said desperately.

"We can't take on so many harpies at once!" Arme argued.

"B-But. . ." Lire looked ready to jump out anyway. "Oh, you're right. . ." I could see Lire trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry, Lire," Arme said.

"L-Let's just think of a plan," Lire said, seemingly trying to distract herself. I wanted a distraction now, myself.

"But what do we do for now. . .?" Arme asked.

"Don't look at me," I grumbled.

"Let's go through the castle," Lire suggested, "like we have before."

"I think we should wait for nightfall," Arme said. "Most of them should be asleep by then."

"Sounds like a plan. Please, nightfall, come soon."

I slunk down into the bushes, suddenly tired again. Soon I drifted to sleep. All I could see was the image of the battered, dead body of Elesis before the sleep took hold of me.


	30. Chapter 29: Kaze'aze's Castle

**Author's Note**: I found out something while looking over this chapter. I started writing as Lire, then I ended up switching to Ronan almost immediately after. Which means I wrote two chapters in a row with the same pov. Oops. I can't change it without making it seem weird, so I put a dash to show where it changes, but there's no change in time or anything like that. So sorry. . .

--

Ronan shook me awake.

I opened my eyes. "Nighttime already. . .?" I asked. Ronan nodded. I looked over at Arme.

"Ready?" she asked.

"I-I guess. . ." I answered. Ronan nodded once again. Arme used her magic again, this time for us all, to give us strength.

"Okay, let's go," Arme said. She made her way over in the direction of the castle. Both Ronan and I followed. I noticed that Ronan left the branch behind. Seemed like he was better.

I took out my bow, ready to attack. Arme had her staff ready, while Ronan took out his tyrfing.

We soon made it to the castle entrance.

"I remember," Arme said, "when we first came here."

"Yeah," Ronan said.

"I wish we didn't have to come back." I could remember when we first came. It was almost impossible to break through the forces of Kaze'aze's army.

"Ready?" Arme asked. "Let's go." She led the way into the castle, Ronan and I following close behind.

"It's. . . kinda empy," Ronan whispered.

"Too empty," Arme whispered back.

"I'm worried," I whispered.

Soon, we heard laughter.

"Oh crap. . ." Arme muttered. "Who's there?!"

It fell silent.

"What do you think that was?" I asked, not whispering any longer.

"Might've been. . . Kaze'aze. . ." Arme suggested. Then there was a snapping sound, and a hole appeared underneath us.

"Great!" Ronan cried out, falling in.

"Sh-" Arme started, as she fell.

"We're deaaaaaaad!" I cried out.

Luckily, we all landed, safely. It appeared we were in a throne room. I had never seen this room before. . .

"So," a voice said, coming from near the throne, "you've come to join us."

Arme stood up quickly. "Kaze'aze. . ."

A figure, who was apparently sitting on the throne, stood up and walked into the light that filtered in from the hole above.

It was Jin. His eyes were pale, almost as if he were blind, but I knew he wasn't, as he was looking directly at us.

"Jin?!" Arme cried out in disbelief. I was too stunned to speak.

Jin laughed loudly before he spoke. "So, you've come to retrieve the others?"

"Of course, you fiend. . ." Arme answered.

–

"Jin, what're you doing?!" I cried out as Lire asked, "Where are the others?!"

"Do you really want to know?" The tone of Jin's voice caused a shiver to go down my spine. Then I heard Arme gasp.

"N-No. . ." she whispered, shocked. "T-That wasn't a dream. . ." Her dream. . . At that moment, I saw the light blue, glowing gem. It was attached to a necklace around Jin's neck. I thought I could hear screams from it that chilled my blood.

"Damnit, Jin, what's wrong with you?!" I demanded.

"Don't you get it?" Jin said. "I'm not Jin. It's funny how the strongest is always the weakest at mind." Then he laughed.

"Kaze'aze. . ." I hissed under my breath. I could feel the rage bubbling up from inside of me.

"N-No. . ." I heard Arme say, again. When I looked over at her, I saw that she had put her hands over her ears. It seemed as if she were oblivious to everything except. . . except for those screams.

"R-Relase the others, before I make you," Lire threatened weakly.

I charged at Jin.

"You killed our children. . . I'll make you pay!" I yelled. "Give them back!"

I saw an arrow fly through the air past me, aimed at the necklace.

"Not so fast!" Jin hissed, dodging my attack and then ducking to avoid the arrow.

"No, no, please. . . make it stop. . ." Arme moaned.

"What's wr-" I began, before Jin punched me, hard, in the stomach. I fell to the ground, winded.

"A-Arme, what's w-wrong?" Lire asked.

"Please, stop. . . Just stop. . ." Arme was trying not to cry.

I looked up when I saw a yellow-orange glow. Jin was about to throw a Chi wave at the two girls, but I kicked at him, causing the wave to hit the ceiling instead. Lire kept showering Jin with arrows in an attempt to hit the necklace.

Jin cackled, and kicked me. Right into the path of some arrows!

"Oh crap!" Lire exclaimed. Luckily, I managed to deflect some, but still, others hit my side, digging into my flesh.

"Gah!" I cried out, and ripped the arrows out. "Damnit, fight fair. . ." I raised my hand half-way into the air, as purple waves flew out from the ground in front of me.

"Hmph." Jin leaped into the air, dodging my Soul Wave, exactly what I wanted. Jumping into the air with Jin, I sliced the necklace off with my tyrfing; however, Jin grabbed it before I could and landed. He then ran to the girls.

"Coward!" I yelled out, and ran after Jin.

Lire raised her Composite Bow, smiling, and let out a volley of arrows as her back was highlighted with green, glowing wings. Jin dodged it, almost expertly.

"Amateur!" he cried out. "You won't stand a chance against my true form!"

"I've beaten you before, and I'll beat you again!" Lire yelled out, before she filled the sky with blood-red arrows.

Jin didn't answer. He snapped his fingers, and a small hole appeared before him, causing him to disappear into the floor. However, the necklace got caught on a part of the floor.

"Phew," Lire sighed, and then noticed the necklace. She went over to pick it up. "What's that?"

I skidded to a halt beside Arme and Lire.

"You okay, Ronan?" Lire asked me. I nodded slightly, my breath coming out hard and fast.

"I got the necklace," Lire said, holding it up to her eye. "What's in it. . . It. . . seems to be torturing Arme. . ." I wouldn't say it was torturing her. . .

"Well, let's break it open!" I said. Maybe it would stop "torturing" Arme.

Lire took out an arrow and set the necklace on the ground, and stabbed the necklace in the center. However, it didn't break.

"Damnit, break!" Lire kept stabbing the necklace repeatedly, but still, it didn't break. I tried stepping on it, but that didn't work. Lire picked up the necklace and threw it to the floor in frustration.

"What's this thing do anyways?" I asked, looking at the necklace. The blue gem seemed to pulse eerily. "It sounds like it's yelling."

"I'm not sure. . ." Lire murmured. She picked it up and tried to bite it, but realized that wouldn't work. "Ew. . ."

"Smart. . ." I said, amused. "Arme, tell us. What is this thing?"

Arme looked up at us blankly. I went over to Lire and took the necklace from her.

"Maybe only magic can break it?" she suggested.

"Why don't you try it Arme?" I asked.

Arme looked at the necklace before she used a weak Lightning Force, weak enough that it didn't hurt me. A small crack formed at the top of the blue gem. Then a burst of energy shot out almost immediately, and I had to drop it. Arme then used a weak Fire Burst on the necklace. The necklace began to melt, but the gem cracked open, and an aura of sorts seemed to pour out of it. Arme looked down at the floor, which seemed to be fading.

. . .

"Oh crap," Arme muttered as Lire asked, "W-What is that though?" as she began to fall.

I tried to grab the aura, but I couldn't reach it.

"Not again!" I yelled as I fell. I saw Arme try to grab the necklace but missed as the necklace merged with the aura.

Soon, we made impact with the ground. I was the first to land. Arme landed on top of me, and then followed by Lire. Oh, the agony. . .

"Where are. . ." I began. "Weee. . . Can't. . . breath!" The two immediately got off of me, and I gasped. I then discovered that I could hardly breathe, even with nothing pressing on top of me.

I saw a bit of movement and then I could breathe again. We were now in a bubble! It was pretty big, too.

"There. . . We can. . . breathe now. . ." Arme softly said.

Able to think clearly now, I saw something blue glowing. I looked around and saw the aura, floating off somewhere. With the light it gave off, it was easy to tell where we were, and that was in a dungeon of some sort. We were in a jail cell. The aura seemed to be trying to get somewhere.

Lire muttered her thanks, and then tried to grab the aura. Her fingertips brushed the aura before it whirled around in the air, as if trying to go further into the dungeon.

"What's it doing?" I asked.

"Not sure. . ." Arme murmured. "Follow it. . ."

"Ah, okay," Lire said, though technically, the aura didn't have that far to travel. Still, Lire, followed by Arme, went over to follow the blue thing. It looked as if it were trying to break free from the bubble.

"Sorry, but something such as you can't break it. . ." Arme said. . . to the aura? The aura was actually trying to get into our cell, but it couldn't fit. It kept pushing against the bubble, trying to obtain enough momentum to slip between the bars.

"What is it?" I asked, grabbing the aura. Arme came over to me and looked over my shoulder.

"What is it?" she echoed. Inside it. . . was Lass, sitting in a puddle of blood. His skin was painted red, due to the blood. Lass' eyes were open, unblinking, and glazed over. Blood trickled out of his mouth, and only the faint rise and fall of his chest told that he was still alive.

"A-Ah. . . No. . ." Arme whispered, before she fell over.

"A-Arme?!"

I grabbed the bars in disbelief. "Lass?!"

It looked like Arme was going to break down.

"Laaaaaaass. . . Noooooo. . ." Her voice rose a few pitches, her fear and shock starting to overwhelm the poor girl. . .

"A-A-Arme. . ." Lire cried out softly, worried for her friend. Then she looked up at the aura and asked, "I-Is t-that Lass?"

The aura was still attempting to get in, so I tried to pry the bars apart. It slipped in between the small gap I made. As soon as it did, I could see Lass, on the ground in front of us, the same scene inside of the aura.

I grabbed the aura again, holding it in my hands. It felt quite warm, despite its cold, blue glow. There was a feeling of friendliness, familiarity, and desperation about it.

"L-Lass. . ." Arme called again, her voice a bit more normal now.

I crouched down beside the puddle of blood and grabbed Lass' wrist, pressing two fingers to where I would feel his pulse. It was weak, but there.

"He's still alive," I said, informing the girls.

"T-Thank goodness." Lire let out a breath of relief. I waved my hand in front of Lass' open eyes. There was no response, not even a slight twitch.

"Apparently there's no brain activity," I said, then more softly, "Like there ever is. . ."

Suddenly, the aura slipped out of my hand and rammed itself into my forehead. For a glowing ball, it certainly hurt!

"G'owch!" I cried out as I fell backwards. I could hear Lire snickering at me.

"Hey," I said, getting a thought, "maybe this thing is Lass?" I poked it and the aura slammed down onto my hand.

"Ow!"

Lire grabbed it in her hands. "If you are Lass, then go back into your body. You're scaring Arme to death."

Once more, the aura slipped out of its captive's hands and this time, it went over to the bubble and began to ram into it.

"W-What is it doing?!" Lire cried out, worried. "If it keeps that up, the bubble might pop!"

I thought for a bit before answering. "Maybe that's what it wants?" I took out my tyrfing and sliced the bubble easily.

"B-But we couldn't breathe!" Lire said.

"Well-" I began, before the aura slammed into my head again. This time, though, I blacked out, but only for a second.


	31. Chapter 30: Prisoner

**Author's Note**: Whoo, chapter 30. I think I can do an update once a week if I write a bit everyday.

--

I watched in amazement as an aura, a darker blue than the previous one, slipped out of Ronan's head and fell to the ground. Ronan stood up, holding his head. I was holding my breath, but luckily for me, I could hold it for quite awhile.

"Ack. . ." Arme cried out, oblivious to what was going on.

"Oops, sorry Ronan!" Ronan said. I stared at Ronan, dumbfounded, but he didn't notice.

Coughing a little, he said, "And you're still sick. . ." Suddenly, the light blue aura came out through Ronan's forehead, who fell forward onto the ground. The light blue aura then seemed to nudge the dark blue aura into Ronan's body. He twitched slightly as the light blue aura flew into Lass' body.

"This. . . is. . . strange. . ." I said, as Ronan cried out, "My soul!"

Then, Lass began to scream in pain, making me jump at least three feet. Ronan managed to get up.

"Lass!" he cried out as I turned to Arme and called out, "A-Arme!" Then I turned to Lass and said, "L-Lass, m-maybe you sh-shouldn't have gotten back into your body i-in that state. . ."

Tears streamed from Lass' eyes as he choked out, along with some blood, "It's too late. . . Ga-aah. . ."

Then I heard a voice that chilled me. "I-I-I w-w-will k-ki-kill K-K-Ka-Kaze'a-aze. . ." Turning around, I saw that Arme had gotten up, staff in hand. The staff was glowing black.

"A-Arme. . ." There was a slight rustle as Lass turned to his side, shivering.

"L-Lass. . ." was all Arme said to him, before she began to mutter a strange incantation. I had never heard her use this spell before. Arme pointed her staff, still glowing black, at Lass.

"You. . . You can't die. . . S-So your soul will have to come out. . . so you don't suffer. . . Your body will be f-fine once I h-heal it. . ."

"I-I'm sc-scared. . ." I whispered.

I saw that Ronan was paralyzed by fear.

"Ar. . . Arme. . ." Lass whispered, and held his hand to his mouth as he coughed, weakly.

"I-I don't want you to d-die, Lass. . ." Arme whispered, shedding a tear.

The stench of blood was so overwhelming, and it didn't help as Lass coughed up more. "Don't. . ." he said, weakly. "No. . .!"

Arme turned her head away, trying to hide her tears, as the staff's dark glow consumed Lass' body. I felt as if his scream would forever echo within my memories, as his soul was extracted from his body. Lass' body went limp once his soul was completely out. Arme's staff clattered to the floor as she dropped it to put her hands to her ears. I could do nothing but stare.

The soul started floating around Ronan. The movement took me out of my stupor, and I went over to Lass and began to bandage him up.

"What are you doing?" Ronan asked. I thought he was talking to Arme at first, but when I looked over at Ronan, he was talking to Lass' soul. His soul answered by entering Ronan's body, pushing Ronan's soul out. How does that make sense? Then he began to walk off somewhere, followed by Ronan's soul.

"Oh great," I muttered. "Don't get him killed, Lass!"

"I won't," he said.

Then Arme stood up and walked out of the cell through an opening none of us seemed to have noticed before. Great, where was _she_ going?!

"Arme?!" I called out. I got no response.

"I don't want to get left alone. . ." I muttered. "But I-I can't leave Lass. . . Well, his body. . . Who knows what could find it. . ."

I was answered by silence.

"Oh, Ryan, how I wish you were here with me," I said, with a whimper. Soon, I finished bandaging Lass' body.

–

"Ronan," I whispered through his body, "Elesis. . . is somewhere around here. . . I know it. . . I saw them take her around here. . ."

Then I saw them. Elesis and Jin were in a cell, somewhat like the one we were just in. Jin didn't look too well, but at least his eyes were clear, showing that he wasn't possessed any more. Elesis seemed to be sleeping, though she seemed to be unnaturally still.

"Jin, are you okay?" I asked.

He nodded before whispering, "Kaze'aze left me here. I think if I move, she might kill me. . ." Jin's gaze wandered over to Elesis.

Suddenly Ronan kicked me out of his body, so I turned back into the floating little orb I ended being after Kaze'aze's treatment. Luckily, I still had most of my senses with me.

"Elesis?" Ronan whispered. She gave no sign she heard.

"Don't wake her up," Jin whispered, a hint of fear in his voice. "She'll kill me. . ." As if on cue, Elesis stirred a bit, causing Jin to begin screaming.

"What the hell?!" Ronan cried out. I, of course, having no mouth, said nothing.

Elesis stopped moving, and let out a small noise. Ronan came over and began to pry open the bars. Elesis started waking, due to the noise. Jin was still screaming, and I wanted him to shut up.

"Shut the freak up!" Ronan screamed.

"Shut up. . ." Elesis muttered, "or you're dead. . ."

I decided to enter Jin. I shoved out his soul, which was a bright red color, and stood up.

"Phew," I said, "I feel muscular."

"Help?" Ronan asked. I came over and pried the bars apart.

"I'm so strong!" I cried out happily, and I let out a small chuckle. I heard Elesis murmur something, but I wasn't quite sure what she said.

Then, probably due to Jin's screaming, we were immediately surrounded by Dark Anmon Guards, Dark Anmon Scouts, and Dark Mages. They seemed to have came from nowhere, and filled up almost the entire cell.

"Shit," I muttered. "Ronan, run. And take Jin's soul with you." I managed to push Ronan out and began prying the bars back together. I noticed a red glow that seemed to be floating away.

Soon, Undead Fighters appeared to join the ranks of the monsters already surrounding us, and to block the path.

"Not good," I heard Ronan mutter. Ronan managed to jump back into the cell right before I pried them tightly together.

"We're so screwed," I mutter. I began to back away, only trip over something. Or someone, when I saw that I tripped over Elesis. She moved her leg slightly as she uttered a small sound.

"Idiot!" Ronan cried out, as he moved Elesis to a corner and stood in front of her, using his body as a shield. Elesis whispered something, and soon, there seemed to be even more monsters. I had a bad feeling. . .

"Okay, shit," I said. Then Jin's soul came up and pushed me out of his body, so I was bodiless again.

Jin seemed a bit woozy as he said, "I guess we'll have to fight!" I flew off, in search of Lire.

–

My mind was racing as the monsters slowly advanced. We were going to die, weren't we? The monsters seemed to be looking at Jin, as if waiting for him to say something, but what?

"Wait, crap," Jin said, "don't look at me!"

"I'm not the Kaz-" he began, before I whacked him. "Ow, what was that for?!"

"Try ordering them?" I suggested.

"Uh. . ." Jin hesitated a bit, wondering if it would really work. In truth, I was a bit skeptical myself. Then, pointing at a Dark Mage, Jin commanded, "Dance!"

The Mage looked a bit skeptical, as if wondering whether or not to follow Jin's instructions.

"Come on!" Jin said impatiently.

The Mage looked at one of the Scouts. It just shrugged, then pointed at us. Looking back at us, the Mage, along with the other monsters, began to advance on us. Crap.

"Fine," Jin said, "attack Ronan!" With a great shove, I was pushed forward, closer than I wanted to all those monsters.

"What the fuck!" I cried out, nearly crashing into a Dark Anmon Guard. The Dark Mage that Jin had tried to command to dance earlier looked almost gleeful as it prepared to shoot out a Lightning Bolt at me.

"Wait, no!" I backed away.

"Do it do it do it!" Jin said from behind me. I had the feeling he wanted a bit of payback. . .

"No!" I yelled.

"Yes!" Jin yelled back.

"No!"

"Yes!"

Our arguing didn't stop the Lightning Bolt from coming my way. I could see that it was carefully directed so as to not hit Jin or Elesis. Jin, I understood, but Elesis? I mean, I don't want her to get hurt, but why did the Mage avoid Elesis? I didn't have time to think for long though, as I quickly took out my Aegis shield and deflected the electricity.

"Cheater!" I heard Jin cry from behind me. "Take his weapons!" Jin, shut the hell up, you're not helping!

A Dark Mage and Dark Anmon Scout began to advance on me.

"You know what, Jin," I said, clearly annoyed, "we'll get you back when we're outside. Until then. . ." I whipped out my tyrfing and began to hack away at the monsters.

"No, my faithful servants!" Jin cried out in mock sadness. Sheesh.

I heard a slight sound from behind me, and the monsters backed away, all except for a Dark Mage. Except for my glaive, I tucked away the rest of my weapons.

"Surrender," the Dark Mage commanded, in a deep, cracked voice, "and you will not be hurt."

"Who me?" I asked.

"Both of you," the Mage answered.

"Who?" I asked again, a bit more nervous. There were three of us, so which two?

The Mage pointed at us and said, "You two!" Oh, that _really_ helped. I was about ready to chuck my glaive at the stupid thing.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jin inching away from Elesis. A cold chill ran down my spine, and I shuddered slightly.

"Idiot, guard her!" I snapped.

"Drop your weapons," the Mage commanded.

"Hmph, it's fine, minions," Jin said. "I've got this under control!"

_What is he doing_? I thought.

Pointing at Jin, the Mage said, "Don't think you can deceive us." Crap. "Now, surrender or you will have to face the wrath of Lady Kaze'aze."

"Shit," Jin muttered. "Uh, how about no? Come on, Ronan!" Jin picked up Elesis.

"Drop t-the girl, now!" the Dark Mage stammered. Wait, was Elesis. . .?

I didn't have time to think as the monsters began to get closer. As I summoned my dragon to attack, and to provide a distraction as Jin and I ran, the Dark Mage summoned a dark cloud. The dragon began spouting fire into the dark cloud, vaporizing it, and incinerated the Dark Mage.

Jin and I, who had been partially in the cloud, coughed a bit. We both began to run, but a Dark Anmon Scout stuck its foot right in front of me, causing me to trip.

"Wow, that was dirty," I muttered. Then I felt the sharp metal of a Dark Anmon Scout's. . . hand, arm, whatever, press against my neck.

"Drop her now, or his life is gone," the Scout said, in a sharp, metallic voice.

"Damnit," Jin muttered.

"Jin. . . I. . ." I managed to choke out against the pressure of the blade.

"Do it. Now."

"Fine, you win," Jin sighed, defeated. He set Elesis down.

"Damnit, Jin, no!" I said. The blade slipped away from my neck as Elesis began to stand up.


	32. Chapter 31: Three vs Many

**Author's Note**: It's about time I finished and submitted this chapter. Whoo, Jin's PoV this time.

--

It was about time I could contribute to our. . . story. Unlike the others, I will tell you who I am. My name is Jin, and truth be told, I do not like being Kaze'aze's favorite "toy". She was the reason why I did the things I did, until she relased her hold from me. Even so, she kept coming back to take control of my body, my mind. . . It was utter hell.

I felt slightly slightly guilty at the fact I was happy that Kaze'aze had control of Elesis right now, as she stood up, eyes closed.

"I really should just stick to my own body, it makes things so much easier for you, my minions," Kaze'aze said, through Elesis. It makes it so much easier for us all if she would just stick to her own body.

"What do you wish for us to do with these two, Lady Kaze'aze?" a Dark Anmon Scout asked.

"Imprison them."

"No, Elesis!" Ronan cried out.

"Very well, Lady Kaze'aze."

"What the?!" I said, before I aimed a Hanuman at Elesis.

"Hmph." Elesis flicked her finger at me, sending out a large shadow ball in my direction. Luckily, I managed to dodge it at the last second. Unluckily, I fell to the floor. I felt the pressure of a hammer on my back.

"Don't move, or you're dead meat," a Dark Anmon Guard croaked. It sounded like it had a sore throat, for a tin can.

"Aw, shit," I muttered. I could only watch as Ronan was surrounded by monsters.

"Go with them with no fight," Elesis stated, "and neither of you will be hurt. Now, I must find out where the elf ran off to before she escapes."

"Wench!" I yelled out.

"Call me what you wish, it won't change your fate." Elesis' tone of voice made me want to punch her. Well, Kaze'aze was who I wanted to punch.

"And just what is that?" Ronan asked.

"You will see later, Royal Guard Master." Apparently Kaze'aze wanted us to fret about our fate.

"Wh-What?"

"You are so naive, it seems." Elesis chuckled. "Why don't you think about it in your confinement?" She turned and walked off into one of the corridors.

Ronan, the foolish knight he was, got up and tried to follow her.

"Ronan, no!" I cried out.

An Anmon Scout stood in Ronan's way. "Sorry, but Lady Kaze'aze wants you confined. If you do not comply, then we will have to kill you."

Yeah, we're going to do what some half-assed tin can wants.

I saw Ronan grab the hilt of his tyrfing while looking around at the swarm of monsters.

"Whatever," he muttered. Meanwhile, I could feel the hammer slowly pressing down on my back.

Suddenly, all the monsters nearby lunged towards Ronan. He made no sign that he was going to dodge.

"Ronan, get out of the way!" I cried out.

"Alright," he muttered, before lifting his hand upwards. "Blast Bomb!" A red, flaming rock seemed to fall through the ceiling. Many of the monsters tried to stop, but some were too close, and were pulverized.

The monsters seemed distracted, so I took my chance and did a sweeping kick at the Guard that had its hammer on me.

"Gwuh! Punk!" the Guard cried out. It swung its hammer at me, but I was too fast for it. I was behind it in a blink of an eye.

"Too bad you're so slow!" I taunted, before I doubled kicked the thing in the back, slamming it into the wall. It slid to the floor, and didn't get back up.

"Th-" I began, before I felt bolts of electricity go through my body. "Gah!"

"Jin!" Ronan cried out. There was a flash of white, and the impact of arrows, as Ronan summoned his Valkyrie to barrage the monsters, including the one that attacked me, with arrows. I collapsed onto my side once the lightning stopped. Some of the monsters began to swarm me.

"Lire!" I heard Ronan say. Was Lire here?

"Here I am!" I heard a familiar voice cry out, followed by the repeated impact of multiple arrows, and finally a large explosion. Green clouded my vision for a moment.

The monsters off my back, I got up and ducked away to a small, monster-free spot, and began to gather up energy within me. Soon, there was too much for my body to hold, and I let it out in the form of Chi. The Chi swirled around me, and it made me stronger, but I knew it wouldn't last for too long.

"Watch your back!" Lire yelled out suddenly. I turned around quickly to see a Scout about to attack me, but it fell over as it was hit in the back with five arrows. Its blades still aimed to me even in death, I jumped out of the way, and began to punch the crap out of the monsters around me.

After a few minutes of fighting, all the monsters were either killed off, or had fled. I began to chase one of the Dark Mages, but Ronan said, "Drop it."

A single arrows flew over my head and hit the mage in the head, and it dropped over dead.

"No fair," I said, and kicked it.

"You should get some range," Lire told me.

"I'd rather not."

"It helps, like when you're after some stray monsters."

"Well, I could have just sent a Chi wave to kill it."

"What happened to Lass?" Ronan asked.

"Lass?" Lire thought for a bit. "He's actually fine right now. I left him in Ryan's care while I came to search for you guys. I haven't found Arme yet, though. . ."

"It's good to see that everyone's been found," Ronan said, then sighed.

"Except for Arme, Amy, and Elesis," Lire said, correcting him. "Where are they?"

"Elesis. . ." Ronan sighed.

"Phew, someone's lonely," I said. "Where's Amy. . .?"

"I thought I found her," Lire said, "but it turned out to be some lady. I was thinking about helping her out in this castle, but she just disappeared suddenly."

Ronan looked at Lire, as if wanting her to say more.

"Just some lady, might see her again," Lire said. "I think she was wandering the castle."

"Sounds suspicious," Ronan said. "Maybe we should go back to check on Lass and Ryan, and then continue searching for Arme and Elesis."

"I wonder where Arme we-" Lire began, before a large explosion interrupted her. "Holy crap, what was that?"

"Maybe we've found her?!" I said, before I began to run in the direction of the sound. I heard the other two follow behind me. Soon, the hallway began to fill with smoke.

"Yeah, definitely Arme," Lire said between coughs. "She must have found Kaze'aze."

"Great!" I cried out, while covering my mouth and nose.

We were getting closer to the source of the smoke.

Ronan ran ahead, his cloak covering his face.

"I can hardly see through this smoke," Lire muttered.

Suddenly, there was another explosion, louder than the last. It nearly knocked us off our feet. Ronan stopped, almost falling over.

"Where's that power coming from?!" I wondered.

I was answered by a faint cry of "Deep Impact" which was followed by a loud set of explosions.

"I think that was Arme!" Lire cried out.

"Yep, Arme," Ronan said.

"I bet she found Kaze'aze. . . They're probably in a fight."

"Shall we find out?"

"Yeah, but we should be careful."

Ronan used an Abyss Storm, clearing the smoke.

"I do _not_ want to get hit by one of Arme's meteors, no matter which kind," Lire muttered. Neither did I.

As soon as the room cleared, I saw Arme, in the middle of the room, fighting what seemed to be a dark-skinned lady. She had a dark purple robe that was the length of the floor, and covered almost all of her features, so I couldn't see who this lady was.

"Hey, who's that?" I asked. I didn't get an answer.

"Kaze'aze," Arme said, "you will suffer for what you have done to my friends! Freeze in hell!" Arme shot out a ball of ice at the lady, who was apparently Kaze'aze.

"Fool, you may have bested me last time, but this time, I will defeat you and your pathetic little friends," Kaze'aze said, in a voice like liquid silver. She dodged the ice with ease, and sent out waves of shadow orbs, all directed at Arme. Arme teleported through the orbs. Unfortunately, Arme had her back to me, Ronan, and Lire, which meant the shadow orbs were coming our way.

"Yup, that's her!" Ronan yelled out, before ducking to the side. Lire went to the other side, while I simply ran out of the way.

"Where did the magical brat go. . ." Kaze'aze said, looking around.

"Right here, witch!" Arme yelled, from behind Kaze'aze. Arme struck her staff into the ground, bringing up waves of lava and stone. Kaze'aze dodged, but the very edge of the lava hit her.

"Gack!"

Ronan came close to Kaze'aze and jumped up into the air, surrounded by swords of light. He then landed, shooting the swords out in front of him.

"So, it looks like your friends have decided to join us! The faster you all can perish then!" Kaze'aze paused. "But, I require your skills for certain. . . tasks. Damn, I wanted to kill you all so much. . ." She shot out two large fireballs, one at Arme, one at Ronan. "Why don't you meet me on the the castle's top, where you and I can finish this?" Kaze'aze disappeared in a dark mist. I could hear her laughter, as it faded away.

"Damnit! She got away again!" Arme cried out in frustration, after dodging the fireball.

Ronan growled a bit as his cloak got slightly burned at the edges after he dodged the fireball himself.

"Cloaks su-" I began, before Ronan interrupted me. "Shut up!"

"They're very helpful for keeping one warm at least!" Lire said, in Ronan's defense.

"Whatever," I said. "Let's go."

"We have to go to the rooftop," Arme murmured. Then, more to herself, she muttered, "I never knew that Kaze'aze was human. . ." She turned to use. "C'mon, let's go, guys."

"Wait, what about Lass and Ryan?" Lire asked.

"If you can find them, go and hurry, then meet us at the rooftop."

"Right," Lire said, before running off to find the other two boys.

Arme turned to us and said, "C'mon, if you want to fight." She headed down one of the hallways, followed by me and Ronan.

We soon arrived at the rooftop. It was quite large, and paved smoothly with dark, purple tiles. Storm clouds had gathered above, making it dark and eerie.

"I'm here, Kaze'aze. . ." Arme announced.

"So, you decided to come?" a voice greeted us. The voiced sounded warped. It echoed, and seemed to be everywhere, yet nowhere. "I thought you were going to run away."

"I'm not so scared as to run away from a fight I know I can win," Arme said.

"Very well."

"Show yourself, witch!" Arme cried out. "I shall send you to hell!"

"You think this will be easy, do you?" There was a trace of a sneer to the voice. "Do you think you _and_ your friends can take me on?"

Arme hesitated for a second. She glanced at us, and said, "Of course. . ."

"Then this is what you shall fight."

A dark cloud began to materialize in the middle of the rooftop. I saw Ronan grip his tyrfing, ready to fight. The cloud began to fade, and I saw glimpses of. . . glimpses of red. . .

No. . . Kaze'aze. . . She was making us fight Elesis.


	33. Chapter 32: Fight You? I can't

**Author's Note**: If I ever said anything about updating once a week, ignore that. I'll just update whenever I can. Also, I suck at writing stuff like this. Not sure what to call it. Now I have to wonder. . . Did I Kaze'aze a masochist in here or something? Lol. And to quote myself, "I was trying to decide on something while writing this, but realized that I didn't want to confuse myself (or others) and decided not to do it." Also, cheesy chapter name (I suppose).

--

I believe Kaze'aze to be quite a sadist sometimes. I believed that at the moment that Elesis stepped out of the black, swirling cloud, possessed by Kaze'aze herself. . .

I froze as I saw her.

"So, ready to meet your doom?" Elesis said teasingly.

"E-Elesis?!" Arme cried out in disbelief. "Th-That's not fair! Show your true self and fight us face-to-face, witch!"

"Oh, but you see, this is so much more funner this way!" I wanted to murder Kaze'aze so badly. . . "Plus, I need you to fight your friend!" she added.

"D-Damnit," Arme muttered.

"Ronan, get a grip!" I heard Jin say.

"I can't fight Elesis," Arme said, "even if it's actually Kaze'aze. . ." Good. I felt slightly guilty about feeling glad Arme wouldn't fight.

"Too scared to fight me?" Elesis taunted.

"O-Of course not! I'll fight you anytime, anyday. . ." Arme's words sent a chill down my spine.

"Then fight me now, or die!" Elesis said, before she took out her sword and ran at Arme, swinging the sword.

Arme swore under her breath before she rolled out of the way.

Jin shook me and said, "Hey, get a grip already!" I couldn't, no, wouldn't move. How could I even lift a finger against Elesis? Even if Kaze'aze had possessed her, it was still her. . .

"Show your true self and then I'll fight you!" Arme demanded.

"You will fight me like this, or you will die!" Elesis yelled.

"Damn you to hell, Kaze'aze!" The meteors Arme summoned seemed even more hotter, even more larger, than usually. . . They were all aimed at the rooftop.

Jin kicked me in the side, knocking me out of the path. He dodged too, but one of the fiery meteors grazed Jin, causing him to yell out, "Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry!" Arme yelled. "At least you're not Kaze'aze, who would suffer the most. . ." Her last words turned into a soft murmur.

I realized that Elesis had been hit. She seemed to have made no attempt to dodge, even.

"T-That hurts. . ." she said, smiling.

Suddenly, almost as if by instinct, I tackled Arme, pinning her to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Arme cried out, surprised. "Get off!"

"You can't hurt Elesis!" I cried out. No, no, no, please hurt her any longer. . .

"I-I have to, or she'll kill us. . ." Arme told me. Like that makes a difference?! There should be less painful ways to deal with this. . .

"No!" I kept Arme pinned to the ground. Tears were flowing freely down my face, and stung my eyes.

"I-I don't want to hurt her, but. . . Kaze'aze. . ." Arme said hesitantly.

Before Arme could say any more, Jin kicked me, knocking me away from Arme.

"Get away from him, Arme, he's gonna-" Jin began, before he grabbed my foot and capsized me. I was upside down, but I could see the fight. . .

Arme had ran to one side of the rooftop, groaning loudly, perhaps in frustration.

"C'mon, attack me." I could hear the sheer delight in Elesis' voice. "Cowards," she taunted, and ran towards Arme, ready to attack.

Arme turned her head away as she struck her staff, the War Staff, into the ground, shooting out two walls of electricity as Elesis got close.

"G-Gah!" She fell onto her back, knocked over from the electricity. I got up, my strength fueled by anger and desire to protect Elesis, and ran towards Arme, even though Jin was now clinging to my back. I could hear a slight giggle escape from Elesis' lips as she seemed to relish the pain. Arme uttered a small, "I'm sorry" under her breath.

"Okay, okay, Ronan, stop!" Jin cried out. Arme turned her head and yelped.

"Holy crap!" She dashed off to the side. I didn't get to Arme, but I grabbed Jin and threw him at Arme. He skidded across the floor.

"Shit!" Arme yelped, and ducked.

I turned my head as I heard a familiar voice laugh. Elesis was watching us, blood dripping slightly from her mouth. "How fun. . . friend against friend. . ." She seemed to be having slight troubles breathing. . .

"This pain. . . Oh, it hurts so much. . ." Her voice sounded strained as she spoke. "But, it's worth it to watch you pathetic humans fight each other. You let your feelings get in the way too much. . . This is why you shall lose this f-fight. . ."

"Damn you, Kaze'aze. . ." I muttered, staring at Elesis. It felt as if a thousand arrows were piercing my heart. I could almost feel the pain Elesis was feeling right now.

"I-I could die if I keep fighting. . ." she stated, and began to cough. "Agh. . ."

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and muttered, "I can't fight. I'm sorry. . ."

"Well, I can," I heard. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. I opened my eyes to see Elesis stagger slightly before running at me.

"N-No you don't!" Arme cried out, before shooting a fireball at Elesis. Luckily, or maybe not, Elesis tripped, hitting the floor hard, just as the fireball sailed over her head.

"Ow. . . Even falling. . . hurts so much," Elesis said, almost happily. I felt as if she were going delirious.

I fell to my hands and knees, crying out desperately, "Elesis, please, snap out of it!"

"I enjoy watching you suffer, y'know," was all she said mockingly. I felt anger flare up inside of me, and got up. Suddenly, I charged at Elesis.

"Whoa, he's lost his mind!" Jin cried out.

"Huh?" Elesis looked confused, but it disappeared. "That's it, come and fight me." She raised her sword. As I got close enough, tyrfing in hand, I swung my foot out and kicked the sword out of her hands.

"Huh?" This time, Elesis was definitely confused.

"There, now you can't fight," I said, and stabbed my tyrfing into the ground. "Give up, Kaze'aze! You have to return to your normal state some time!"

Elesis looked thoughtful for a second, before a black cloud appeared in front of her. She grabbed at the cloud and pulled out a spear that seemed to have materialized out of the dark matter. Great.

Without warning, Jin came up from behind Elesis and caught her. . . in a headlock. She let out a small choking sound.

"Don't hurt her!" I cried out, and drew my spell sword.

Elesis elbowed Jin in the stomach, but it didn't faze Jin.

"Let me go. . ." she muttered. When Jin didn't budge, she swung her spear, trying to hit him, but Jin blocked the weapon. "Let go, damn you. . ." she said again.

"Not gonna work!" Jin said, before he let Elesis go. Then he grabbed her arms and. . . well, he armlocked her.

"You're really good at that, aren't you?" I muttered.

"O-Ow!" Elesis yelped. Jin let out a laugh.

"M-My arm, let go!" Elesis cried.

"Don't think so," Jin told her.

"I-It hurts. . ." she said, softly. "Ow!" Her spear clattered to the floor.

"Yeah, aren't you happy it won't kill you?!" Jin practically snarled.

"Y-You're going to break it, aren't you. . ." Elesis asked, seemingly slightly hysterical.

"I can do this all day," Jin said, "and if I have to, I'll do it."

"Jin!" I cried out. I didn't want him to break Elesis' arm!

"At least she's not gonna die!" he said.

"My arm feels so numb. . ." Elesis said softly. Then even softer, "Maybe. . . I'll have to separate it from this body?" I went rigid with shock.

"Okay, that's it!" Jin cried out. He gripped Elesis' upper elbow tightly and dislocated her elbow, causing her to scream. I looked down, my stomach churning.

"It hurts so badly, I think I just want to lose this arm now!" She was playing with me, with all of us, I know it. . .

"Uh, Arme?!" Jin cried out. "Can't you take her soul out?!"

"I-I can't do that!" I looked over at Arme. I was so hopeful. "Elesis. . . Her soul is mixed with Kaze'aze's right now."

"Do both of them, and get a filter or something?!" Jin grabbed Elesis' other arm quickly, as she was waving it around, trying to grab the spear.

"None of us can physically grab their souls and stop it from moving, and I can't just hold a soul outside, unless it does so willingly, which means Kaze'aze can just easily slip back into Elesis' body. . ." Arme explained.

"Let me go, now!" Elesis cackled as her hands started glowing black from some evil energy.

"What's this?!" Jin exclaimed.

"Let me go," Elesis said, starting to cough a bit, "or I'll blow your arms off. . ."

"You wouldn't. . ."

"I can. . ." she muttered, "even if it means my arm has to go with it!" Oh god, I willed for Jin to let go. I couldn't speak anymore.

"Fine," Jin sighed, defeated. Even he wanted to keep Elesis safe, at least. He pushed her away.

Elesis picked up the spear quickly and lunged it backwards, towards Jin. "Die!"

"Why are you doing this?!" I cried out, and jumped at Elesis. She managed to back away from me in time and say, "Because I'm Kaze'aze, what's why!"

"Hyah!" I heard, as a scythe came spinning above our heads, hitting Elesis squarely on the chest and knocking her down to the floor.

Ryan came running in, shouting, "Elesis, snap out of it!"

"I-I'll beat you. . ." Elesis said shakily. She stood up, shaking badly. "All of you. . ." Or I'll die trying!" The spear clanked to the floor as it dropped from her hands, turning into a formless black cloud again, and then rematerialized into two one-handed swords, Ssanggeom. She couldn't even attack before she started coughing up blood.

Suddenly, I grabbed Elesis' arm and pulled her close to me, faintly aware of the deadly swords in her hands, and hugged her tightly. The smell of iron was strong. . .

"Elesis, stop. . ." I said softly.

"Y-You're a f-fool. . ." she said weakly, and tried to stab me. However, she was too weak to do much but give me a cut. The wound hardly stung.

"No, my Elesis is strong," I said. "She'll overcome you. . . She has my support. . . I know she can hear me!"

"You. . . You're so s-stupid. . ." Elesis laughed slightly. "She's too weak to resist my will now. . . after all this pain that she has to endure, for I am stronger. . ."

I closed my eyes and murmured "Holy Inferno," bathing the two of us in a holy blue light.

"You're trying to force me out, aren't you. . ." she whispered.

"So you're smart, huh?" I said, and used it again.

"It won't work. . . You're just wasting your strength, fool."

"It doesn't help if you don't try!"

"No, I know it won't work. . ." Elesis sounded so sure. "She's almost gone. . ." She let out a small chuckle.

I simply hugged her, tightly.

"Back away from her, Ronan!" Ryan called from behind me.

"Once I get the strength, this sword shall pierce your heart. . ." Elesis threatened.

"I don't care," I told her, "as long as I get to be with Elesis. . ."

Elesis drew back, coughing, more blood splattering, and threw a sword at me. It was amazing that she missed anything fatal, what with me being so close to her, but I got a wide gash on my arm, before the sword impaled itself onto Ryan's leg. He cried out loudly in pain, and fell down to his unhurt leg.

"T-There. . . I got enough blood. . ." Elesis muttered.

I began to cry. I felt as if I would lose enough blood to die, and Elesis probably would die too, from her blood loss.

"I guess this is it. . . Elesis. . ." I said softly.

"I-If only the others were here, I can revive him. . ." Elesis seemed to be talking to no one now. Her eyes seemed to have glazed over slightly. . . "But, I can't die. . . Not. . . yet. . ."

Elesis collapsed, and a black mist seemed to seep out past her lips, before evaporating into the clouds above.

"Whoa, nelly!" I heard Jin cry out as I fell over onto my side, completely exhausted. His footsteps seemed to echo loudly against the stone floor.

"I guess. . . we did it. . . For now. . ." Arme said, walking over to us. I could see the soft glow of her staff as she used her magic to try and heal me and Elesis. "I-I'm sorry, I'm too weak. . . Too weak to give you a full cure. . . But at least you're alive. . ." she said, falling to her knees.

"Th-That's fine. . ." I whispered.

"Don't die. . . any of you. . ." Arme said, before falling to her side. It seemed as if Arme hardly fought, but I remembered that she had not taken a break after the fight before, inside of the castle, before having to use more magic on the castle's top.

I heard more footsteps and the sound of Lire's voice. "G-Guy's! I-I. . ." There was a pause before she spoke again. "N-No. . .D-Did she. . ." Did she what? Kill us all? No, we're still alive. Hopefully.

"Jin, let's get them downstairs," Ryan said. I heard a sharp intake of breath. Ryan was probably trying to endure his pain. I felt myself being lifted off the floor, before I was resting on someone's shoulder. "Man, he's heavy." My senses began to fade in and out.

"R-Ryan! D-Don't, you're hurt!" Lire said, worried.

"I'm fine," Ryan muttered.

"It's not bad when you work out!" Jin said, cheery. I began to become only aware of sounds, and maybe a little more.

"P-Please don't strain yourself. I'll wrap your leg up nicely when we can rest. . ."

"It's fine, Lire."

Movement.

"If-If you're sure. . ."

I saw nothing but darkness.


	34. Chapter 33: Crushed Hope

**Author's Note**: I went slightly overboard on this chapter. Wrote 9 pages, whoopsies. Though, I did like writing some parts. And I was being a bit random with Ronan's scent, lol.

--

Arme was unconscious but fine. Lass, who was bandaged up, was stroking her hair. Elesis, of course, was unconscious. Ronan woke up earlier, but ended up falling asleep next to Elesis. Lire was sitting on my lap, leaning on me. I was simply sitting there, with my cute, lovable future wife.

Lass let out a small groan as he tried to move.

"Lass, are you okay?" Lire asked.

"I'm just sore." Lass shifted slightly, pulling Arme a bit closer to him. She moved a bit, bringing her closer to him and let out a small sigh. Lass leaned down and kissed Arme on the forehead, smiling.

"They're so cute together," Lire murmured.

"So are we," I told her, holding her closer. She kissed me and whispered, "I love you, Ryan."

I whispered, "And I love you, too," and kissed her back.

"Aw, so cute!" I heard Lass say, in an overly obnoxious way. I glared at him, and he immediately looked away, pretending not to notice.

Lire began to ask me something, but was interrupted a large explosion.

"What's that?" Lass said, alert. I heard Ronan snort in his sleep.

"I-I don't know," Lire answered. "Maybe something is breaking in?"

"Or maybe it was Ronan's snoring," Jin muttered.

"No time to play around, Jin!" Lass said. "Go investigate."

"What about you?!" Jin asked. He obviously didn't want to go.

"I smell smoke," Lire stated, her head turned upwards. I sniffed the air, and the acrid scent hit my nose.

"I'm sorry," Lass said sarcastically, "but if you didn't notice, I've been a living pincushion for the past few minutes, hours, days, etcetera."

Apparently they weren't taking notice of me and Lire.

"Uhm, is that fire?" Lire asked. I nodded slightly. Ronan uttered, "Barbecue" in his sleep.

"I think that's what we're going to be. . ." Lire said grimly.

Standing up, Lass picked Arme up with ease. "Jin, you're macho! Pick up Ronan!"

"Wait, what about Elesis?!" Lire said. "I can't carry her! Not like I'm calling her fat or anything. . ." she added, under her breath. Apparently, Lire either thought I couldn't either, or she didn't want me to. Probably the latter.

"Great. . ." Jin muttered under his breath, and hauled Ronan over his shoulder.

"I'll do that," I told Lire. She nodded slightly. Apparently, she didn't even think I would've wanted to, maybe. Either way, I hauled Elesis onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck, and held her. I could see the fire now, and it was spreading rapidly.

Lire ran away from the fire, and I grabbed her hand. "Come on, guys!" I yelled. Then, slowly, I tried to lead the way out. Too bad the fire was faster than I, and probably the others, thought. It was probably a better idea to run like hell.

"Anyone got any wind moves other than Ronan?!" Jin yelled, over the roar of the fire.

"Nope!" Lass answered, as he ran ahead of us. I almost forgot he was fast.

Then Lire tripped.

"Lire!" I cried out, and I stopped to help her up.

"Hey, don't get both of them fried, Ryan!" Jin called back to me.

"Trying not to. . ." I muttered. I decided to turn into a wolf, so I had more strength.

Whenever I began to transform into a wolf, I always itched like mad! It was nearly unbearable sometimes. And then there's the lengthening of my face, and the fact that my nose seems to grow broader. It used to catch me off-guard when my senses sharpened, but by now, I was used to it. My ears itched slightly as they adjusted themselves to fit atop my head, and my mouth seemed to overflow with sharp teeth. Sometimes I found it weird that my fingernails turned into claws that could rip into flesh easily. And, of course, there's all the fur, and the fact that I seemed to grow larger.

I hauled Lire onto my back, with Elesis, and growled, "Hang on tight." It was an amazement I could speak as a wolf. I felt Lire wrap her arms around my neck.

With a burst of new, feral strength, I sped away from the flames, and past Jin.

"Hey, you went past me," Jin said. I ignored him.

"I see the exit!" I growled.

"I hope that's the exit!" Lire cried out. She had a point; it could've been a dead end. Hopefully, it wasn't.

I saw Lass ahead of us, and he seemed to run even faster now.

"I see a light?!" I said.

"You see a light?" Lire asked. "Head towards it." I bit my tongue so I wouldn't make a remark about dieing.

I ran towards the light, and I ended up outside. Whew!

Turning around, I saw Kaze'aze's Castle, engulfed in flames.

"Guess we're never coming back here again. . ." Lire muttered. I nodded.

"That hurt. . ." Lass whined. He was panting and began to walk toward the forest.

"Watch out for monsters," Lire warned. Lass gave no sign he heard, but he put Arme down under a tree nearby, and then nearly collapsed on top of her. He ended up landing next to her, face down.

I set Lire and Elesis down under a tree and asked, "Do you think he might have opened up a wound?"

"I wish Arme was awake, she'd know," Lire answered.

As if on cue, Arme began to stir.

"Arme?" Lire called out softly.

Arme's eyes opened a little at first, then widened when she realized that we weren't in the castle anymore.

"That. . . was a close one," was all Arme said.

I looked around a bit, checking for danger, before I reverted back to my elven form. There were some burn marks on my leg.

"Are you okay, Ryan?" Lire asked.

"I'm fine," I said, putting on a smile. Truthfully, it hurt when I moved it, and it felt like it was still on fire, but I didn't want to worry Lire.

Soon, Jin came over and dumped Ronan onto the ground. The two of them were covered ins oot.

"Be careful with Ronan, Jin," Arme said.

"He's fine," Jin said, dusting himself. Ronan coughed a bit.

"C'mere, Ryan, I'll bandage that up." Arme looked at the ones that weren't conscious. "Someone check on anyone else that's not awake." She pulled out some gauze.

I walked over to Arme, while Jin sat next a shrub and muttered, "Don't look at me. . ."

"Guess I'll do it," Lire said, sighing.

"Curry. . ." Lass muttered.

"Curry?" Arme asked.

"Barbecue. . ." Ronan seemed to answer. I nearly put my hand up to my face.

"Someone slap him," Arme said, while bandaging my leg.

Lire poked Ronan, and he began to snore, so she slapped him.

"Ow!" Ronan cried out.

"You awake now?" Lire asked.

Ronan sat up abruptly and rubbed his face. "That hurt. . . Reminds me of the beginning of the stupid drug stuff." I looked down when he mentioned that. It seemed like so long ago. . .

"Yeah, I don't want to remember that. . ." Lire said, before glaring at Jin. He cringed under her gaze.

"One day, I'll have an exceptionally painful punishment for you, Jin," Arme said, almost evilly. I swear I saw an evil glint in her eyes.

"Maybe it wasn't Jin?" Ronan offered, still rubbing his face.

"He admitted to it, remember?"

"I guess." Ronan's face was a bit red from Lire's slap.

Lire got up and went over to Elesis, and said, "Uhm, she's bleeding."

"Tell me something that isn't old," Arme muttered, while Ronan said, "What?!"

"Uhm, I mean, she's bleeding again," Lire said.

"Then just change her bandages!" Arme snapped. "What's so hard about that?"

"I can't tell where the blood's coming from. . ." Oh, crap.

"Fine," Arme said, annoyed. I watched her walk over to Elesis. Ronan's eyes seemed to widen, before he looked away.

"Hm." Arme turned Elesis over onto her stomach. "It looks like she's bleeding from her back."

"Is Elesis going to be alright?" I asked.

"I think so, once I stop the bleeding," Arme said. "Just gotta find out where. . ."

Ronan seemed to relax a bit, but he was still obviously concerned.

Arme, seeing as how she couldn't find any visible wound on her back, pulled Elesis' shirt up. "Holy. . ."

"What?" Lire asked.

"When did she get this big gash?" Arme began bandaging up the wound.

"Elesis. . ." Ronan stood up and began to walk away. He almost tripped over Jin, but kept going.

"Ronan?" Lire asked. "Where are you going?" She got no answer, as Ronan kept walking.

"Someone stop him if he decides to suicide," Arme said. "There."

"I'll go," I offered, despite my leg. To keep them from protesting, I stood up and hobbled after Ronan.

He soon stopped after a few minutes of walking, and took out his tyrfing. Ronan began to slash at a tree. I stepped back a bit into the shadows, afraid of what would happen if Ronan turned his wrath onto me.

"Why. . ." I heard Arme, from where I was, "is her blood black?"

"Wh-What?" I heard Lire ask.

I looked back to where the two girls were, and saw Arme's hand held up, covered in oozing black blood. I shivered.

"It must have been due to Kaze'aze possessing her," Arme said. Lire began to reach out a hand, but stopped. "Poor Elesis. . ."

"I don't think this blood should affect me unless it got into me, but yeah. . . I think she's gone through the most out of us all," Arme said. "Then Lass, then Ronan. . ."

Maybe, maybe not.

Lire shrugged, then asked, "What about Jin?"

"Don't give a damn," Arme said immediately. "I mean, he's caused quite a bit of this!"

"I guess," Lire said, though she didn't seem to entirely agree. "But, I think Lass can relate to what Jin feels now."

"Yeah, but, I don't think it's as bad as Lass."

I turned to Ronan, who seemed to be done.

"Ronan, it's not your fault," I said. "I think you should go and be by Elesis' side when she wakes up." When he didn't answer, I said, "Don't be like that, Ronan."

Ronan thrust his tyrfing into the ground, burying it almost halfway, one hand on the hilt as he fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to give up. . ." he said.

"What do you mean by that?!" I asked.

"I think I need to give up. . . trying. . ."

"Trying. . .?"

"My hopes are crushed." Indeed, Ronan looked crushed, but. . . "Every time I think we're close, it just keeps getting farther."

Then something hit me.

"Wait, don't tell me. . ." I almost couldn't finish. "You're going to leave Elesis?"

"I think she'd be in better hands. . ." he whispered. "Just look at me, Ryan!" Ronan stood up and faced me, holding his arms out. His eyes were clouded with pain, but not any physical pain.

"Ronan, if you left her. . . Imagine what you'd be doing to her. . ." I had to try to keep Ronan from leaving.

"Ryan, I can't. Do. Anything. I'm ill. . . I can't protect her the way I want to."

"She won't care, as long as you're with her!"

"She'd be better off without me. . . I've made up my mind, Ryan." Ronan took his helm off and let it drop to the ground and pulled his tyrfing out of the ground. He walked away from me.

"Ronan, no!" I cried out. "If you do this, then Elesis will do the worst!" My words didn't do anything; Ronan kept walking, eventually disappearing into the trees. I didn't follow him; what could I do anyway, if he thought this?

I picked up the abandoned helm and ran back to the others.

"G-Guys," I started, panting.

"Ryan? What's wrong?" Lire asked.

"I-It's Ronan, he. . . left. . ." I explained.

"What?! How could he!" Arme said. She seemed upset.

"W-What should we do?" Lire asked. "Why did Ronan have to leave . ."

I glanced over at Elesis. She was going to take this badly.

Lire nudged Lass with her foot, waking him up.

"Huh?" Lass yawned.

"Lass, can you do me a favor?"

"H-Huh? What is it, what's going on?"

"Can you go find Ronan and knock some sense into him? He. . . left us. . ." Lire looked down.

"Ronan?" Lass seemed confused.

"Ronan, where the hell are you?" Arme said aloud.

"I can't believe Ronan left. . ." Lass muttered.

"Ronan!" Arme shouted. "If I don't find you in five minutes, I am going to Firestorm you when I do find you!" I inched away from Arme a bit.

Lass stood up, almost as if he thought that threat had been for him. "Okay, I'll go look."

Suddenly, Arme swung her staff, hard, into a tree. "Damn you, Ronan!" she screamed as the staff dug itself into the wood.

"Arme?" Lass said, touching Arme's shoulder. Immediately, she turned around, staff ready, but relaxed when she saw it was only Lass.

"L-Lass. . ." Then she did something that I had only seen her do about only once before; cry. "I c-can't b-believe it. . . W-Why did this have to h-happen. . ."

"Arme. . ." Lass sighed, then hugged Arme. "It's okay. . ."

"W-Why did this have to h-happen. . ." Arme said in-between sobs.

"I don't know. . ." Lass answered. "I didn't expect Ronan, from all of us, to leave. . ." Neither did I. . .

"How will we find him. . ." Arme asked softly.

"Hm, maybe Ryan could turn into a wolf and sniff him out?" Lass answered. Well, I could.

"G-Guys!" Lire shouted. I hadn't noticed her return.

"Did you find him?!" I asked.

"D-Did you see Elesis?!" Lire asked, ignoring me. Oh crap.

"W-What?!" Arme exclaimed. "S-She's gone?!"

"Y-Yeah," Lire said. "She woke up after Ronan left, and I had to tell her what happened, and then she ran off. . . I couldn't catch up to her. . ."

"This isn't good. . ." Arme muttered.

"Damn, I bet she ran off to find him," Lass said.

"I hope we find them both. . . Someday. . ." Lire murmured.

"Ryan," Lass said, turning to me, "can you sniff them out with your wolf form?"

I nodded, and felt my form change. It itched, again. When I was a wolf, I turned to the others and growled, "Do you guys have anything that belonged to him?"

Lire held up his helm, which I had forgotten about. I sniffed the helm, taking in Ronan's sent. It was still fresh, and was a bit musky. Also a bit like wind, and ice, but barely. I took another whiff to get the scent in my mind. Then I lifted my muzzle into the air, found his scent trailed, howled, and ran off.

"Whoa, not so fast, fido!" Lire cried out, as Arme, Lire, and Lass followed hard on my heels. Suddenly, I turned sharply, and ended up running sideways into a tree. Quickly backing away, I took a sniff, having lost the trail for a moment. I quickly found it again and resumed my pursuit.

"One wild path. . ." I heard Lire mutter.

I believe I soon ran out of sight as I heard Lire call, "Lass, chase him!" He was the fastest of us all, on two legs, that is. I, of course, outrun them all on _four_ legs!

Then, before I knew it, I went headfirst into the water. I let out a loud yelp of surprise before I plunged into the icy depths. Someone grabbed a hold of my tail and pulled me out. As soon as I was partly out of the water, I turned human again, covered in piranhas.

"Get 'em off me!" I yelled, flailing. Ow, ow, ow!

"Wait. . . T-That's the river. . . with the piranhas!" Arme cried out. No duh.

"I'm trying!" Lire cried out, pulling still. Arme rushed over to the river and stuck her staff in it and let loose bolts of electricity. The piranhas fell off of me.

"Thank goodness," I said, quite dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Lire asked, hugging me.

"Do I look like swiss cheese?" I answered.

"You have chicken pox," Arme muttered.

"If Ronan went into the river. . ." Lire started.

"He'd be swiss cheese if he tried swimming across," Arme finished.

Lass peered into the river.

"Lass?" I called.

"Huh wh-" he began, before a piranha jumped out of the river and nearly nipped him on his nose. "Gyah!"

Arme whacked the piranha with her staff, knocking it back into the river.

"Are you okay?" Arme asked. Lass nodded.

"I don't think he'd be stupid enough to jump into the river. . ." Lire said.

"The scent trail ends, here," I told her. "However, I caught a whiff of his scent drifting from the other side."

"How are we going to get across?" Arme asked. I looked into the river, and saw piranhas, lined up in a neat, little line. What the hell?

"They're mocking me!" Lass cried out. Arme stuck her staff in the water and let loose electricity, this time at full strength.

"Go to hell, fish!" Arme shouted. There was a small squeak, and the piranhas scattered, though many of them died.

"I think they're gone. . ." Arme muttered. "If not, I'll just do it again!" She stuck her foot in the water experimentally.

"Stupid piranha!" Lass said, with a triumphant laugh. Then he jumped into the water and quickly waded over to the other side. Arme followed quickly, and I was next.

"It's getting kinda deep," I said, as the water rose past my chest.

"Really?" Lass said. He. . . was a freaking giant.

Lire quickly jumped out of the water, as I doggy paddled the rest of the way across.

"I'll claw your eyes out," I muttered to Lass.

"Not unless you drown!" Lass taunted.

"Why you. . ." I lunged at Lass and tried to strangle him. I felt a sharp pain in my side as Arme kicked me off.

"Don't fight, guys! We have to find Ronan and Elesis!" Lire said.

Not saying anything, I turned back into a wolf again and began to continue my hunt.


	35. Chapter 34: Broken Will

I dusted myself off and began to follow Ryan once more.

"I'm beginning to find this hopeless. . ." Lire said. Me too.

"Truthfully, I think so too," Arme said, agreeing.

"Uh oh," I heard Ryan growl.

"What is it, doggy?"

Ryan snapped at me before pointing his nose to a pile of armor, its wearer missing.

"Armor?" Arme cautiously approached the pile.

"Whoa, Ronan stripped!" I cried out.

"I'd rather not find him," Arme muttered. "At least, not me. . ."

"Uh, same here," Lire agreed. "So, uhm, Lass, Ryan, looks like you two should go find him?"

"I guess. . ." Ryan growled.

"But wouldn't he have clothes under his armor?" I rubbed the back of my head a bit. "I really don't wanna. . ."

"We're all men," Ryan said. "Except you might be missing a. . ." He didn't get a chance to finish before I threw a kunai at the puppy, but he ducked it.

"Sorry, Arme!" Ryan gulped. Apparently, Arme silently threatened Ryan.

"Let's go," I grumbled.

"If we don't find him soon, we're going to have to give up," Arme sighed.

Lire nodded reluctantly.

I ran ahead of Ryan, as he dropped down onto all fours to run faster.

"Great, I'm a slow runner," Lire said.

"You're lucky you can actually run," Arme countered. Soon, we left them behind.

"Slow-ass wolf!" I taunted.

"Some assassin you are!" Ryan countered. "Can't even catch your breath, can you?"

"Shut up!" I yelled.

I felt a whack to the back of my head as Ryan swatted me with his big, hairy paw, and I stumbled forward. In fact, I rolled right off a ledge, but luckily, it was only a few feet. When I looked up, I saw Ronan. He seemed to be wearing some new clothes, and had his gaze turned skyward.

"Hey, it's Ronan," I said to myself. Then, calling to the others, I yelled out, "Hey, I've found Ronan!"

It seemed only Ryan heard as he jumped down next to me, huma-er, elven again. "What?!" Then he turned and saw Ronan and cried out, "Ronan, hey!" Ronan didn't answer.

I approached, thinking nothing wrong, and began, "Ronan, hey, Elesis-" before a strong wind started. It seemed to be coming from Ronan.

"Ronan?!" Ryan seemed as confused as I was.

"Abyss Storm. . ." Ronan's voice. . . It sounded so hollow.

"Ronan, what are you doing?!" Ryan cried out.

"Why do I have to be a light weight?!" I yelled, as the wind blew me back to the base of the ledge. I landed pretty heavily, despite me complaining about being light. Guess gravity does that to you.

Then I heard, from behind Ronan, "R-Ronan?" He turned around, eyes clouded, slowly. Behind him was Elesis.

"Ronan. . ." she began. "You hate me, don't you. . ." He looked confusedly at her.

"That's why you left us, isn't it?" Elesis sounded tired. . . How long had she been traveling?!

"Elesis?" Ronan sounded surprised. "Is that you?"

"Yes. . ." she answered, "of course it's me. . . Who else has red hair that's this long. . .?" She coughed slightly before continuing. "I'm also the only one that looks close to death at the moment." Indeed she did. In fact, Elesis was bleeding again, and she looked a bit pale.

"Elesis, I. . . Never meant. . ." Ronan sighed in frustration, and then opened his left hand. I saw a small, golden gleam, and I could make out the small, round shape. A ring.

"I. . . must be a burden now. . . aren't I?" Elesis asked.

Ronan looked at the ring in his hand, then back at Elesis. "I. . ." He stumbled backwards a bit, as if someone had struck him. "Please, under. . . stand. . ." His voice quivered as he spoke.

"Ronan. . . please. . . don't leave. . . ever again. . ." It seemed as if Elesis wasn't aware of what Ronan had said. She seemed a bit delirious from blood loss. Her eyes seemed clouded.

"Take it, Elesis. . ." Ronan began to shake. He held his head, yelling, "It hurts!" Headache?

"T-Take w-what?" Elesis asked. She seemed about ready to fall over.

Then, Ronan began to laugh, a strange, twisted, demented laugh. It chilled me to hear him laugh this way.

"I've done it. . ." he whispered, as I heard Arme and Lire approach. Looks like they finally arrived.

"W-What's going on?" Arme asked immediately.

"I've broken the will of one of the most faithful members of Grand Chase. . ." Ronan seemed to answer. "The Royal Guard Master of Kanavan, eh?"

Oh crap.

"N-No. . . Don't tell me. . ." Arme whispered, fear in her voice. Ronan laughed, psychotically.

"K-K-Kaze'aze. . . a-again. . ." Arme looked frightened, and so was I.

"Kaze'aze?!" Lire exclaimed. "No. . ."

"Ronan Erudon's body. . . is mine!" Kaze'aze exclaimed, through Ronan.

"Kaze. . . aze. . .?" Elesis murmured. It seemed only now, did she realize it.

"That's right. . ." Ronan answered.

"If you're Kaze'aze. . ." Elesis said, "then that means I have to kill you. . . right?" Wait, did Elesis mean she would kill _Ronan_ simply because he was possessed by Kaze'aze? Was her mind _that_ muddled?

"E-Elesis?" Lire called out.

"She's. . . suffering from blood loss," Arme explained. "Her moving around. . . opening her wounds up. . . not bothering to stop the blood flow. . ."

Ronan crossed his arms and held up his left arm. "Poor girl." He swung his tyrfing behind him as Ryan was almost upon our possessed teammate.

"Ouch!" Ryan cried out, falling backwards.

Elesis then took her sword out, but held it as if it weighed a ton to her. She staggered slightly before she ran at Ronan.

"D-Die. . . witch. . ." she uttered. Her breath came out in short, ragged gasps.

"N-No, Lass, stop her!" Arme cried out. I ran towards Ronan, only to be blown back as he turned to face me, so I just stayed where I was, helpless against the powerful wind.

Ryan stood up, holding the arm that Ronan had cut.

Elesis swung her sword, with great effort, at Ronan, who had his back turned to her. He yelped as her sword hit him, weakly. Ronan jumped back from her a bit.

"Y-You shall finally f-fall, Kaze'aze. . ." she said weakly, before stumbling forward, ready to strike again.

"No, Elesis, stop!" Ryan cried out, and threw himself at Elesis. As Ryan passed Ronan, Ryan was hit on the back of his head with the hilt of Ronan's tyrfing, who chuckled a bit. Ryan landed near Elesis, who stumbled over the elven idiot. She used the fall to try and hit Ronan again. He turned around, Elesis was right there in front of him. She was painfully slow.

"I guess I should just kill Ronan now, hm?" Ronan thoughtfully said aloud. "Or Elesis can do it for me. . . A burden on your conscience, hm?"

Elesis missed and fell forward, not bothering to stop herself.

"Huh?" Ronan said, surprised. "Worthless." He grabbed Elesis' left hand as she fell, catching her.

"I'm dead, aren't I. . .?" Elesis asked.

"Perhaps. . ." Ronan muttered. He held up Elesis' left hand with his right hand, and slid the ring over her ring finger.

"W-What is this. . ." Elesis asked.

"The ring that. . . Ronan wanted you to have. . ." he answered.

"A-Are you mocking me now, K-Kaze'aze?" Elesis tried to sound fierce, but failed miserably.

"Perhaps. . ." Ronan grabbed Elesis' right hand, which held her sword, and held it so the blade pressed against his neck. "Doesn't this just make you angry. . .?"

"Not. . . really. . ." Elesis coughed.

Ronan snorted before he said, "Come on, kill me. . ."

"How can I. . ." Elesis muttered, "when I'm so close to death. . . I mean, look at me, I can hardly even stand. . ."

"Do you want me to do it then, feeble girl?" Ronan asked, sneering.

"If. . . you want. . ." Elesis answered. "I'll be happy that we'll. . . die together. . ." She fell unconscious then. The sword fell out of her hands, but Ronan kept his grip on it, and it cut his neck slightly, blood trickling through the cut.

Ronan growled and tossed Elesis aside. "That doesn't matter," he snarled.

As Ronan walked over to a tree, rubbing some of the leaves onto his neck, Elesis murmured, "I'll still love you. . ."

"Now, Ronan is withdrawing. . . from Grand Chase. . ." Ronan muttered. "Good luck killing me now." He pulled the scarf draped around his neck closer to him, hiding the bleeding.

"No. . ." Arme said. "Ronan, please fight back!"

"Ronan. . . who?" Ronan turned and laughed, looking at us. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to change. He fell to the ground, and cried, "Arme, everyone. . . Elesis. . . please. . . I'm sorry. . ."

"Ronan, please. . ." Arme begged, "come back to yourself. Fight Kaze'aze' off!"

"Stop me. . ." Ronan pleaded. He began to yell out, holding his head. "I. . . I can't!"

"I'm sorry Ronan, but we can't do anything. . ." Arme said grimly. "This is a mental battle only you can fight, Ronan. . ."

"It's too late," Ronan said, chuckling. It seems that. . . Kaze'aze won. . . No. . .

"Ronan, please, without you, Elesis will. . . will. . ." Arme couldn't finish.

Ronan stood up, brushing his hair to the side. "Ronan. . . I broke his spirit. . . First, by cursing his beloved." He looked at Elesis coldly. "Ronan was easy to break. . ." Crossing his arms, frowning, he finished, "If you want Ronan back, then you'll just have to fetch him."

"Ronan, you know as much as I do that Elesis would never give up hope on you!" Arme was talking to Ronan, not Kaze'aze. "No matter what you did to her, she still loved you! Even when you told her that you didn't love her that long time ago, she told me it hurt to think about you, but she did so every day, because she didn't want to forget you." Arme paused. "And now, you're going to throw it all away, by letting this mangy dog called Kaze'aze beat you." Arme practically spat out Kaze'aze's name as if it were a bitter taste.

Ronan blinked. "That's very touching. . ." Ronan said sarcastically.

"If it makes you feel better, Kaze'aze", Arme said, "Elesis is going to die very soon. I hope you're happy. And once she dies, there's nothing stopping me from going all-out on you, no matter who you possess." Wait, what if _I_ was the one possessed again after Ronan?!

"Ronan can't hear you, he's gone numb," Ronan said, smiling.

"Then I'll _un_numb him until he wakes up again!" Arme snarled, before she raised her staff, the larger one. Large, flaming boulders began to rain down from the sky. Ronan, caught off-guard, dodged clumsily, but he was struck by a few of the boulders, getting a tad burnt and fell to the ground. He winced, and then said, "Not going to happen." Ronan twitched slightly before he got up.

"I'll never stop hunting you, Kaze'aze, not until your last breath, your last heartbeat, your last words, are taken by me, and I will do so, no matter the cost. . ." Arme threatened. I knew she meant it, and I shuddered.

Arme swung her staff towards Ronan, the tip pointing at him. I could see the air swirling around her staff, seemingly thickening, before being propelled forward, a powerful attack, her Air Blast. Ronan tried to dodge, but he didn't make it in time. Even when I plugged my ears up tightly, his scream penetrated deep into me.

"Die, Kaze'aze, _die_!" Arme yelled.

"Stop! Arme!" Ronan cried out. It sounded as if it were Ronan, pleading. The sadness, the pain, the sorrow that filled his voice nearly made me break down.

"I will not stop until Kaze'aze has released you," Arme said apologetically. "Until then, I'm sorry, Ronan." Arme shot out a spear of ice at Ronan, thus freezing him. She walked over to the frozen Ronan and said softly, "How does it feel to be trapped, Kaze'aze. . .?"

"I think," Ronan said, voice sounding thin through the ice, "it was more exciting in the girl's body. . ."

"Oh, you think?" Arme said icily, before summoning a pillar of lightning. Ronan shrieked in pain as the lightning struck him.

"You shall suffer again, Kaze'aze, just like when you were in Elesis' body. . ." As Arme spoke, spears of ice erupted from the ground, piercing through Ronan's limbs, through the ice. He screamed again.

"How does it feel, Kaze'aze. . ." Arme asked. "Painful?"

"Yes. . ." Ronan answered. "I love it. . ." He began to laugh weakly, before he began to convulse a bit.

"Good," Arme muttered, tapping the ice. She reached behind her, under her cloak, and pulled out a green vial, and let it shatter at her feet. A green cloud began to engulf the ice, slowly melting it, yet also bringing pain to Ronan.

"Damn you," Ronan muttered, closing his eyes. "I'll retreat for now. . . But next time. . ." He opened his eyes, and began to cough, causing blood to stream from his mouth.

"You'll be next!" Ronan whispered sharply, before a black mist seemed to seep into the air, out of Ronan, out of the ice, and into the atmosphere.

"I'll be ready for you then. . ." Arme whispered, before she melted the ice. Ronan fell to the ground, coughing.

"Ronan, are you okay?" Arme asked. He turned away.

"It's hard to resist Kaze'aze. . ." Arme muttered, trying to reassure him, but Ronan didn't seem convinced.

"Don't be ashamed, Ronan," she said, as if reading his mind. "I mean, Lass couldn't, not even Elesis could, and I most likely won't either." I looked down. It was Kaze'aze's words, for she had tricked me. Perhaps I was simply weak of mind. . .

I looked up as I heard Ronan standing up. He bit his lip, as if to hold back a cry of pain.

"How do you feel?" Arme asked.

"I'm in pain," Ronan answered, "but I'm fine."

"I'll tend to your wounds," Arme offered, but Ronan walked, walked past her, to Elesis. He sat down beside her and held her close, kissing her forehead. I stood up and walked over to Ronan, but kept my distance, giving him some space. I could hear Elesis' faint breath, almost nonexistent. It seemed as if she could very easily die at any moment.

Ronan closed his eyes, and muttered, "Holy Inferno," bathing the both of them with a soft, blue light. Eyes still closed, he whispered, "Elesis, I love you. . ." Ronan lifted up Elesis' left hand, and kissed the ring on it. She moved slightly, but otherwise didn't respond. Ronan put her hand down, and didn't move after that.

It began to rain.


	36. Chapter 35: Alive and Well

**Author's Note**: This message is yoinked from deviantART's Tales of Change; I _know_ Sieghart isn't the role of father; hell, he may not even be related to Elesis at all! I don't know how he ended up being father, but if I change it now, I'd have to change a lot of the story in the future, and I don't want to do that. Plus, it's funner this way, seriously. Well, for me, at least. Not sure 'bout you guys. . . But hey, Sieghart's here now.

--

The rain stopped the next day. Ryan had fallen unconscious, unbeknownst to me. He woke up, soon after the rain stopped. His wound had scabbed over, the one Ronan had given him. I repressed a cry of disgust as I walked over to Ronan and nudged him with my foot. He was talking in his sleep.

As soon as I nudged him, Ronan's eyes flickered open and looked up at me tiredly.

"You okay?" I asked. Ronan looked down at Elesis, then back at me, before he nodded once.

"Ronan, I'm not sure if she's. . . you know. . ." My last words were a small whisper. He looked away.

"I-I'm sorry. . . if she isn't. . ." I whispered.

Finally speaking, Ronan said, "It's fine." His voice cracked, as if he hadn't used it in days. I looked away.

"I w-wish I could do s-something. . ." I said, my voice still a whisper.

"It's fine, Arme." Ronan's voice sounded a bit better.

"No, i-it's not fine," I told him, my voice beginning to quiver. "I'm supposed to be able to heal you guys and. . . I failed. . ." Ronan didn't say anything. I thought I saw something move at the edge of my vision. Ronan's eyes widened.

"I wish. . . I was a better healer. . ." I continued, then I saw the movement again. Red. "D-Did she move?" I looked over at Ronan. He nodded.

"T-That's good then. . . at least she's a-a-a-a. . . alive. . ." I almost couldn't say it, I was so happy.

Then Ronan began to cry. He was happy, and held Elesis close to him.

"I'm happy for you, Ronan," I whispered.

"Lass is awake," he said. I turned in Lass' direction.

He yawned, standing up.

"You're awake?" I asked. Lass nodded. I went over to him and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Huh? What?" Lass asked, confused. "Did I die?"

"No, of course you didn't die!" I told him.

"Just wondering why you're hugging me, but I guess it's since you love me." Lass smiled and hugged me back tightly. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"Of course I do, Lass," I said, hugging him even tighter. I hoped I wasn't choking him.

"Good, because so do I. . ." he said, voice full of endearment.

"How do you feel right now?" I asked.

"I'm well, how about you?" Lass asked back.

"I'm fine," I replied, "and happy, as long as I'm with you, Lass."

"And you. . ."

"Aww," I heard from behind. Looking to see who it was, I saw Ryan gawking at the two of us playfully. "How touching." I glared at Ryan, sharply enough that he flinched.

"I hope," I muttered changing the topic, "that Elesis is alright soon."

Lass glanced over at Ronan. "He's really happy that she's okay, for now."

There was some movement at the edge of my vision so I turned to it. It turned out to be Ryan, who had gotten up. He tried to hide the wound, which was scabbed over, but it was enormous, and a little purple. Gag.

"Eeeew. . ." I said, loudly enough for Ryan to hear.

"Shit, what?" Ryan asked, though he probably knew the answer already.

"Your wound. . ." I muttered. "Lemme try and heal that a bit." I tapped my staff on the wound a bit.

"It's already dried up and healed," Ryan told me, "just a bit infected." He poked it slightly and flinched.

"Yeah well, I'm trying to get rid of the infection and stuff. And don't poke it!" I yelled. I used Cure again, and soon the purple faded away. The scab was still huge, but at least it didn't look as disgusting. I wonder how dirty that tyrfing was?

"Was the cut really this big?" I asked. Ryan nodded, and I muttered, "Glad you didn't die of blood loss or anything. . ." Ryan paled slightly.

"Ronan, how is she so far?" I asked, out of the blue.

"She's breathing," he answered. Ronan looked more like his old self. "And her heartbeat is fairly normal. . ." I was glad Ronan sounded more like his confident self, when we first met him.

"I wonder when she'll wake up," I wondered aloud.

"As long as she wakes up," Ronan said. I went over and nudged Elesis, saying gently, "Hey, wake up."

"Maybe you shouldn't wake her up so early," Ronan warned.

"If she doesn't wake up today, though. . ." I said. It always worried me when one slept too long.

"Don't worry Ronan so much, he's going to get gray hair," Lass told me, then added, "A-And my hair's silver!"

"Sorry, sorry!" I cried. Then said, "I just hope she wakes up soon. Then I can ask her how she feels internally and see if I can help her."

"Thank you, Arme," Ronan said.

"You don't have to thank me," I said softly. "After all, you're my friends, and I care for all of you.

Ronan smiled before looking back at Elesis.

"Has she moved any since last time?" I asked.

"Only her breathing," Ronan answered.

I guess all we can do is wait and see.'

Two days passed uneventfully.

On the third, Lass had went fishing piranhas, and was roasting them over a fire. I told him that it might not be safe to eat them. He simply nodded.

Soon after, Lass headed back to the river, cooked fish in tow, and I followed him. When he reached the river, Lass tossed the cooked fish into the river, where the other piranhas were.

"Eat up!" Lass yelled, as I watched in silence. Okay, what the hell?

The piranhas were in a frenzy, eating the cooked fish, apparently unaware of what they were eating, until Lass said, with a laugh, "You just ate your mom!"

The piranhas seemed to look at each other before trying to eat each other.

"You just turned them cannibal," I said grimly.

"And I love it," Lass told me.

"At least you got your revenge. . ." I muttered. Sometimes I wondered about Lass.

"Victory is mine!" Lass cried out, as he ran away.

I stayed behind to watch the. . . feeding frenzy. Eventually, only two fish were left, just staring at each other. They both bared their teach at each other and charged. Both managed to chomp on the other's tail and tear it off, thus making it so that they couldn't really move. I swore they were throwing insults at each other, before a shark came out of nowhere, jumped out of the water, and landed on the two piranhas, eating them up. The shark then swam upstream.

"Holy crap!" I nearly shrieked, falling backwards.

Then I heard Lass calling me. "Hey Arme, I think Elesis is waking up!"

"Really?" I called back, running back. This was great!

As I saw the others past the foliage, I saw that Elesis was indeed waking up. Ronan's eyes had widened, and he was a bit away from her, as to give her some room. Elesis coughed a little.

Ronan brushed some of her hair away from her face before asking, "Are you alright, Elesis?" She simply let out a small sound in response.

Turning to me, Ronan asked, somewhat randomly, "So, since I asked Elesis to marry me. . . Doesn't that mean I have to ask her dad's permission?"

"Er. . ." I thought about that. Did he? I think so.

Ronan looked at a picture of what appeared to be some possessed human with black hair, and an almost-all black outfit. His eyes scared me. "I'm scared," Ronan muttered.

"Who is her father anyway?" I asked. Ronan simply showed me the picture.

"Where'd you get that picture anyway?" I asked him.

"Ryan found it in Kaze'aze's Castle." I nodded slightly as he continued. "He looks nothing like her. Nevertheless, I don't think I'd want to be talking to him." Ronan tried to look calm, but his eyes betrayed his fear.

"I doubt that is her father though," I told him, trying to calm Ronan. I mean, really, I didn't see the similarities.

"We should ask her. . ." Ronan said.

Just at that moment, Elesis said, in a small voice, "Daddy. . .?"

"Dad. . . dy?" Ronan squeaked, before fainting.

"Call the medics!" Lass yelled.

"Er, I don't think she meant you, Ronan. . ." I muttered, before jabbing my staff into his side. Ronan stood up and rubbed his head. "Oh."

"She might be dreaming," I told him.

Lass snatched the picture out of Ronan's hands and nearly fell over. "Whoa, psycho."

"You have to wonder about that. . ." I said.

"Oh, I also found this picture," Ronan said.

"Stalker pictures!" Lass yelled, though Ronan didn't even take a picture out. Yet. "It's not safe around here!" Lass ran around. I wanted to smack him.

"Where the hell did you find it?" I asked, referring to the other picture.

"In the Castle, I said." I knew that. "And I took this one with a secret camera." Ronan pulled out another picture, this time of him, making a weird face.

"What the hell? I should smack you for taking such a stupid picture," I said.

"Well. . ." Ronan began, scratching his head a bit, before taking out another one. "What about this one? Kaze'aze's Castle again, don't ask again." I didn't say anything this time as he showed me yet another stupid picture, and took it back quickly.

"Well, I wonder what Elesis' dad really looks like?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Maybe he has a beard," Ronan pondered, as he rubbed his chin. "And he's nice?"

"We can ask Elesis," I said, adding, "who is now awake, it seems."

"Uh. . . huh?" Elesis asked groggily, having heard her name.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" Lass said, sarcasm dripping off his words.

"Good morning, asshole," Elesis muttered.

"How you feeling?" I asked.

"Sore. . ." she answered.

"E-Elesis!" Ronan called, nervously. "What does your father look like?"

"M-My father?" Elesis asked, surprised a bit by the question. "I haven't seen him in awhile now. . ." Great. "But I remember that he has black, spiky hair," she added. Double great.

Ronan fell over, unconscious.

"R-Ronan?!" Elesis said, worried.

"He's knocked out," Lass said. "Well, I'd be like that too if-" he began, before stopping.

"What?" Elesis asked, as I nudged Ronan.

Shaking his head, Lass said, "Nothing." Then he kicked Ronan in the head.

"Don't hurt him. . ." Elesis said.

"Oops, I think I kicked his head," Lass said innocently. There was a trail of blood that began to leak out of the wound that was on Ronan's neck.

"I'm going to kill you Lass. . ." Elesis threatened.

"Lass, don't do that again," I said, as I bandaged up the wound. Lass simply turned invisible. I sighed.

Poking Ronan lightly, I said, "Up at at 'em!"

"Uh?" Ronan asked.

"Quit doing that," I told him.

"Sorry," Ronan muttered, rubbing his head.

"So, guess we should see if we can find him?" I said.

"Find who?" Elesis asked.

"Your father."

Ronan shivered.

"My father. . ." Elesis said thoughtfully, before asking, "Ronan, are you cold?"

"Maybe we should try killing Kaze'aze first, eh?" Ronan said, with a nervous laugh, then answered, "Oh, no I'm not. Actually I feel kind of bare without my armor." He added the last sentence in a smaller voice, as if not intending for us to hear. Then Ronan added something else, but it was too inaudible.

"What?" Elesis asked. Ronan said it again, but it was still too hard to hear.

"Um, I can't hear you Ronan. . ." Elesis said.

"Uh, nothing," Ronan said.

"Are you sure?" Elesis asked. "It seems as if you're worried about something. . ."

"Ah, no, I'm fine."

As Ronan stood up, Elesis persisted. "Are you sure?"

"Ye-Kinda," Ronan said.

"Please, tell me what's wrong. . ." Elesis sounded a bit irritated.

"I. . . You. . . Your. . . Dad. . ." was all Ronan said.

"What about my dad. . .?" Elesis looked confused.

"I have to ask him. . . about marrying you. . . right?"

"Oh, you're right about that, but. . ." Elesis hesitated. Ronan tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Thing is, I have no clue where my father is. . ."

Ronan looked a bit happy, but I said, "I could always try this new locating spell to find him."

"Yes, please. . ." Elesis said. "I want to find him." Ronan laughed a bit, quite nervous.

"Ronan, is something the matter?" Elesis asked.

"Nope, nothing," he answered.

"Please, tell me what's wrong."

"Well. . ." Ronan looked like he wasn't going to answer. He held his neck. "He might not like me. What if he kills me?"

"He wouldn't kill you!" Elesis seemed surprised by the very idea. "What makes you think that?"

"I'd worry about that too," Lass said, from somewhere. Ronan didn't say anything, but took out his previous picture of the psycho dude.

"W-Where'd you get that?" Elesis asked.

"Kaze'aze's Castle."

"Well, it makes sense. . ." Elesis muttered. "I guess. . ." Ronan didn't answer; he put the picture away.

"Where is he. . .?" Elesis asked, after awhile

"Well, based on the picture, to start, I think he is at the Xenia Continent," I said.

"There? Why there?"

"Dunno, but that's where the spell points to as well."

"Guess we go there then. . ." Elesis said, before she tried to stand up. "Ow." Immediately, Ronan was at her side, helping her up.

"Thank you, Ronan. . ."

"Uhm, maybe you shouldn't move yet," I told Elesis.

"But what can I do then?" Elesis asked.

"Uhm. . ." I thought for a second. "Let Ronan carry you?"

"I'd rather not burden him though."

"It's fine!" Ronan said.

"But. . . you'd get tired of carrying me," Elesis argued. Ronan just smiled, before he picked Elesis up, holding her around the shoulders with one arm, and under her knees with the other. It reminded me of how a groom would carry his bride.

Hugging his neck, Elesis murmured, "Well, if you want to, Ronan."

With that settled, I said, "Let's go then."

"A'ight," Ryan said. "Lire? Are you okay?" He looked around. Lire was underneath a tree, snoring away. Ryan went over and nudged her gently.

"No, I don't wanna go. . ." Lire said, in her sleep.

"Come on, Ryan," Lass said, visible again.

"Must be a dream," I said.

"I shouldn't disturb her," Ryan said, before he picked Lire up.

"Please. . ." Lire seemed to beg. "Let me marry him. . ."

Ryan looked startled. "It must be about her parents. . ."

"No. . ." Lire seemed to answer.

It took us a few hours to arrive at the Xenia Continent, once again.


	37. Chapter 36: Father

**Author's Note**: Three PoVs this time, first one isn't that important to figure out, second and third are obvious if you read 'em.

--

"I swear this staff will blind me one day," Arme muttered, as her staff began to glow quite brightly.

"Why are we here. . .?" I asked.

"To find her dad," Arme said. She jabbed her finger Ronan and Lire's direction. Then Arme yelled, "Hey, father of Elesis, we have kidnapped your daughter!"

"Arme!" Elesis cried out. Arme snickered a bit.

"Are we there yet?" Lass complained.

"Yes," Arme said. "But, he's nowhere to be found."

"Father!" Elesis yelled out. Ronan put Elesis down, looking a bit tired.

"Thank you, Ronan," Elesis said, and asked, "Are you tired?"

"Uh, a little," he admitted.

"Why don't we take a nap together?"

"Uh, okay." Ronan walked over to an old tree, its leaves stripped from it, and sat down under it. Elesis walked over to him and sat down next to Ronan, his gaze never leaving her. Elesis leaned against Ronan's shoulder before closing her eyes, her breath slowing and deepening. Elesis was soon asleep, followed by Ronan.

--

I could hear snoring, and it wasn't coming from the sword-wielding lovebirds.

"Ronan's snoring again," Arme muttered while I was setting Lire down.

"No, I think it's Lass," I said. Looking over to him, I saw that Lass was still standing, but when I got closer, I realized that he was asleep. Standing up.

Arme walked over to him and managed to get Lass to lie on the floor, without making him fall over. She turned to me after Lass seemed comfortable on the ground and said, "Shall we see if we can find him?" I nodded and grabbed my ax, slinging it over my shoulder, and began to walk into the forest.

"Where are you, Elesis' father?!" Arme yelled into the forest. As we walked deeper into the Xenian forest, I realized something odd; the snoring that we heard earlier wasn't getting farther away. In fact, it seemed to be getting closer.

"Uh, what's that. . .?" I asked.

"What the hell?" Arme simply answered.

Sighing, I told Arme, "Hold on," waved at Arme, signaling her to stay, and began walking forward. What I saw made i_me_/i go "What the hell?!"

"What?" Arme called out from behind.

"Uh, maybe you should see for yourself?" was all I said.

The crunch of fallen leaves signaled Arme's arrival, as she stood behind me. What I found was Octus, in his monstrous form. He had scratches, bruises, and all manners of marks on him, as the monster lay on his side on the forest floor. Blood seemed to be trickling out of his mouth. And, uh, there was snoring coming from the outer side of Octus.

"Holy. . ." Arme said, and began to circle Octus from a distance, cautiously. I followed her, giving Octus a small poke as I climbed over his tail.

Then I saw the snorer. It appeared to be a man with black, somewhat messy hair, who appeared to be in his thirties or so. Next to him was a sword that looked similar in shape and size to Elesis', but was decorated in a different manner, including the colors.

"Is that. . .?" Arme asked. She was answered by a snort from the man.

"Ryan, I think you found him," Arme told me. Technically, it was Octus I found but I didn't say that. Instead, I said, "Great. Protect me?"

"Uhm, why?" Arme asked, turning to me. I was on top of Octus' back now.

"Well, it's just that, you're a girl, and I'm a guy," I told her. "There's nothing stopping him from killing me. On the other hand, however, it'd be rude to hit a girl."

"Wait, uh, why would he kill you?" she asked, before saying more sharply, "And are you saying I'm weak?" What?! I never said that!"

"No!" I yelled.

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm scared of him!" I admitted. "He looks scary."

"Well, he doesn't look scary," Arme said. "I bet Elesis will be happy to see him." Meanwhile, the man rolled over onto his side, causing me to jump slightly.

Arme picked up his sword and said, "Nice sword, though. I'll just hold onto this so he can't attack you. Happy now, Ryan?"

"Yeah," I said. I think.

Feeling just a smidgen braver, I jumped down from Octus and nudged the sleeping fellow.

"Hey, uh, Elesis' father? Good morning?" He didn't seem to wake up.

"I wonder how he'd react if I said she was dead," Arme wondered.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Nothing, I was just wondering," Arme said.

"Well, try saying something?" I suggested. He was sleeping like a freakin' rock!

"Uh." Arme thought for a bit. "Your daughter's been kidnapped?"

Quick as lightning, the man bolted up, so fast, his foot knocked me over, and I landed face first.

"I was kidding!" Arme said, quickly. I looked up from the ground.

"Huh?" The man looked confused. "Who are you?" Then he narrowed his eyes. "Why do you have my sword?"

"So you don't attack us." Then, ever so casually, Arme said, "I'm Arme."

"I'm Ryan!" I blurted out.

The man looked around, before his gaze wandered down to me. "Oh, did I do that?" He gave me has hand, and I took it, pulling myself up.

"So, did you beat Octus up?" Arme asked.

"Yes." He crossed his arms, as if wanting us to say so otherwise.

"What did he do?"

"Got in my way."

This guy spooked me. I mean, he beat Octus up just for getting in this guy's way?! We beat Octus up because he was trying to i_kill_/i us! I began to inch away a bit.

"And what are you doing here, exactly?" Arme seemed to like asking questions, but maybe that comes with being a mage. And a smart-ass.

"Well." It seemed like he was trying to determine whether to tell us or not. He did. "I was searching for. . . someone. I can't say."

"Is it. . . your daughter?" Arme seemed to have thrown him off-guard a bit.

"Huh?! Yes, how did you know? Do you know where she is?"

Arme only answered the second question. "Yes, we're friends with her."

"Really? Could you take me to her?" he asked.

"If you promise one thing," Arme said. I wasn't sure if he was the man to be making promises with. . .

"What?" he asked.

"Not to kill any of us."

"Well. . ." He hesitated a bit. "I'll try. I know how to kill a man with my thumb."

I let out a small squeak.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing!" I cried out. I was scared.

"Well, please try not to," Arme said. I added, "Please. And Ronan too."

"Huh?" He seemed confused. "Isn't that the Royal Guard Master's name?" Arme nodded.

"If one of us dies, your daughter will get quite upset," Arme warned.

"Oh." He let out a chuckle. "That's a good reason for me."

"Thank goodness," Arme muttered.

"Let's go back!" I declared, and turned around and tripped over Octus' tail. The heat rushed to my face as I heard Arme snicker and Elesis' father say, "Clumsy one, are you?" Great first impression. . .

I got up and dusted myself off.

"He's usually not so. . . clumsy," Arme said, in my defense.

"I see. Well, Arme, was it?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." Arme, using formalities? This was a first.

"May I have my sword back?" he asked.

"Well, I guess," Arme seemed reluctant to give it back to him, but she did so anyway. He took it back, though he held it backwards. Odd.

"Well, what's your name?" Arme asked. "After all, you know ours, but we don't know yours."

"Oh, my name?" he said. "It's Sieghart. Are we departing?"

I nodded, and lead the way.

"Hm, getting dark out," Arme commented, noticing the lengthening shadows. "Hope the others are all right."

"I'm sure they are," I said.

"Well, only Lire was awake," Arme muttered.

"Lire's strong," I said, a bit of warning in my voice.

"Well, you know she's a bit weak in terms of close-range combat. She wouldn't be able to help the others too well." Well, Arme had a point, much as I hated to admit it.

"I guess we should hurry," I said, quickening my pace. Eventually, I could see the others. Lire was still the only one that was awake.

"I think I see them," Arme said.

"Hm?" Sieghart seemed surprised. "Elesis? Who's that next to her?!" Uh-oh.

Arme cleared her throat a bit and said, "You promised."

"Don't worry, I won't kill him!" I could hear the rage in his voice.

Whispering to Arme, I said, "We should have made him promise not to hurt anyone. . ."

"Don't hurt him either," Arme said. "Elesis would get upse-" In mid-sentence, she stuck her foot out just as Sieghart began to walk ahead of me.

"Excuse me," Arme said, a bit more loudly.

"Hm?!" Sieghart looked up at Arme, glaring at her.

"It'd be just as bad to hurt any of us," she told him. "Especially since you're her father."

"I need to talk to whoever this may be," he told Arme. "It's personal, of course."

"Well, he's asleep right now." Arme sounded so calm. I was scared half to death.

"Does it matter?" I could hear a hint of annoyance in Sieghart's voice.

"Yes, because he is obviously worn out," Arme said, a hint of annoyance in her voice as well. Apparently, she was getting tired of this. "That is due to carrying your daughter a very long distance, so please let him rest."

"Alright," Sieghart said, glaring at Arme. "When he wakes. . ." He stood up and began to walk back into the forest. "I'll be waiting."

"That guy is scary," I said.

"Tell me about it. . ." I didn't realize Arme was as well.

"I don't want to see him angry," I said. Arme agreed with me.

It wasn't until the next morning did we see him again.

--

"Ryan, you fetch him." Huh?

"Ronan, hey, we gotta tell you something." Tell him what?

I began to wake up, blinking at the morning sun that seemed to just fill my vision, and shook my head, trying to chase away the sleepiness. Ronan began to wake up beside me.

"Wha-" he began, before suddenly, something jumped out of a tree and began to drag Ronan away by his cloak. Wait, was that. . . father?!

"R-Ronan?! F-Father?!" I chased after the two of them.

I heard Arme cry out, "Wait, Elesis!" but I didn't slow down. Crap.

As I caught up, I saw that my father had tied Ronan's cloak to a tree's branch and demand, "Who do you think you are, getting that close to my daughter like that?!"

"What?!" Ronan choked out. "Daughter?!"

"F-Father?!" I called out. I was a bit scared at what my father would do to Ronan.

"Are you Elesis' father?!" Ronan managed to yell out.

Arms crossed, my father looked back at me, looking serious. "Elesis?"

"W-What are you doing to Ronan?" I asked him.

The serious look on his face melted as I said Ronan's name. "This is the Royal Guard Master?"

"Y-Yes," I said.

"Oh."

Ronan's face seemed to turn quite a few shades of red as his breath was getting cut off from him. "Blood. . . Rushing. . . Head. . ."

"P-Please untie him!" I said. I still felt too tired to try and get to Ronan, especially after having to run through the forest after the two.

Father jumped up to the tree branch he had tied Ronan's cloak on and untied it, causing Ronan to fall onto his head. "Apologies, Royal Guard Master."

Ronan got up, his face turning normal again as I ran over to him and hugged him.

"Are you okay, Ronan?" I asked.

"Yeah," he muttered, rubbing his head and looking up at Sieghart. I looked up as well, and his face was back to serious again.

"What are you doing in Xenia, father?" I asked.

"I was looking for you," he said, seemingly glaring at Ronan, who was looking a bit pale right now.

"You were. . . looking for me?" I rested my head on Ronan's shoulder as I looked up at Father.

"Yes." He sighed and closed his eyes. "So this is why they told me not to kill him."

"Wait, they said not to kill Ronan?" I asked. He nodded.

"Well, I can see why. . ." I think.

"Elesis, I need to talk to him," Ronan said to me.

"Uhm, okay." I wasn't sure whether or not to leave Ronan alone with my father. "Just. . . Just try not to get hurt!" I got up and began to head back, but as my father landed onto the ground, I ran over and gave him a quick hug first before I disappeared into the forest.


	38. Chapter 37: Five Versus One

**Author's Note**: I suck at fight scenes. Also, this chapter's a bit shorter, sorry.

--

I'll admit, Elesis' father scared me. I couldn't even see much of a resemblance between the two, aside from the use of swords, but even then, he held it in a different way than she did!

"Well? Who do you thihnk you are, getting close to my daughter like that?" he asked me.

"Uh," I said, not sure what to say. "I'm. . . Ronan Erudon." Stupid! He knows that!

"Yes, yes, I know."

"I. . ." I began, before I stood up. "I'm the man who asked for your daughter's hand in marriage."

Sieghart looked at me as if I had turned into Kaze'aze right in front of him. "What?"

"I asked Elesis to marry me," I said again, though slightly shorter.

"I guess we're going to take longer than I expected," he said, with a sigh.

"Wh-" I began, before he lunged at me. Quickly, I drew my tyrfing and blocked his sword.

"What is this?!" I asked.

"Let me deem you worthy of taking my daughter's hand in marriage, Royal Guard Master!" he said. Crap.

"Hey, I don't want to do this!" I told him. No way did I want to fight Elesis' father.

"I do," he told me. "Strike me once to prove yourself legit!"

"Hyah!" I thrust my tyrfing in Sieghart's direction, trying to strike him. "Well, you're going to be one grumpy father-in-law."

"Not if I can help it," he said, with a smirk. He pulled back a bit as I lunged, causing me to stumble slightly as I hit noting but air. Sieghart jumped and struck me in the chest with the hilt of his sword.

"Is that all you have to offer?" he taunted.

Stumbling back, I shot back, "Of course not!" I dived forward, trying to stab at Sieghart again, but he simply dodged.

"Fight me, Royal Guard Master. I am your enemy."

I swore I heard voices.

"Are you looking up my skirt?" It sounded like. . . Arme?

"Noooo. . ." That sounded like Lass. What were they doing here?

Distracted, Sieghart performed some sort of uppercut, swinging his sword upwards toward me, but I managed to block it and tried to kick his feet out from under him. He jumped over me, striking me in the back again with his hilt.

"Come on, I know you're holding back. Perhaps you shouldn't even be worth of being called Royal Guard Master, hm?" He was taunting me i_again_/i!

Glaring at him, I said, "I'll make you eat those words." I reached up and grabbed my cloak, taking it off and threw it to the side. It was going to get into the way. I wished I still had my armor on. Then I charged at Sieghart. As he thrust his blade at me, I swerved to the side and kneed him in the side, and swung my sword at him.

Sieghart looked surprised, but he blocked my sword with his. "Good, keep on!"

I leaned forward, putting my weight on the sword. Sieghart did the same. We were so close, I could see how bleak his eyes seemed to look.

He smiled. "You're not that shappy for a kid, Royal Guard Master."

I didn't return the smile. "I'd say the same thing, except you're old."

"Old?!" Sieghart cried out, giving me the chance the shove him back.

"I'm not old!" he yelled at me. I managed to refrain from laughing.

"Fine," he said, and swung his sword around in a circle. "Bring it."

So, I charged. "Give me all you've got!"

"I wouldn't want it any other way!"

"It's Octus!" Lass yelled. What?!

Sieghart and I stopped as we both heard Lass.

"Octus?!" we both said, at the same time.

"I thought we freed him!" Arme cried out.

Soon, Octus came into the small clearing we had been fighting in, nearly landing on top of us. Luckily, we both ducked out of the way.

"I thought I defeated you!" Sieghart cried out.

"Right. Don't make me laugh," Octus snarled.

Then Lire came out, who had been hidden by the tree's leaves.

"Damn, I knew you were hiding somewhere!" she said. "Quit running and fight me already!"

"Fine!" Octus pulled back, before he let out a loud roar. It sent out a pink shockwave that Lire easily dodged.

"Hah, missed!" she yelled, before she glowed green and sent out a mass of arrows, straight at Octus.

Then Elesis jumped out and cried, "Gotcha, Octus!" In her hands were her two swords, and she began to spin around, nearly being engulfed by flames, and then directed the flames downwards at Octus.

Arme jumped out of the bushes.

Octus blocked the attacks, but I could tell he was wounded. I dropped my tyrfing and pulled out my sword and shield from. . . somewhere. A large, glowing rune appeared before me, and I could practically see the white-blue wings that were on my back, which merged with the rune as I stabbed the rune, my Blame Mus-I mean Buster.

I heard Arme yell "Deep Impact!"

"Five versus one?!" Octus cried out.

"You're still bigger than any of us!" Elesis said. It. . . It seemed as if she was shaking, even as she began to conjoin the hilts of her swords into one long "sword" and spun them. Her words were as shaky as she was, such as when she cried out her skill's name.

"Elesis, what the hell are you doing here?!" Arme hissed.

"G-Giving chase, and now w-we're gonna take th-this big o-oaf down!" Just as she finished, Octus swung his arm at her, knocking her to the floor.

"Crippled girl," Octus said, sneering.

"You moron!" Arme cried out.

"You. . ." Sieghart was mad.

"Elesis!" I ran to her side, using my body as a shield, to protect her from Octus.

Lire ran over to us, and said, "I've got your back!" Thanks, Lire.

"Bastard. . ." Sieghart seethed. He sounded. . . angry.

Lass came out (finally) but he looked quite scared.

Arme came over to us and began to try and heal Elesis.

"That's it," Sieghart said, before he dragged his sword along the ground, seeming to drag out waves of purple energy. He jumped up, the purple energy following him, as he swung it at Octus.

"R-Ronan. . ." Elesis said, weakly. "You look k-kinda tired. . . A-Are you okay?" Me? What about _you_?!

I just said, "I'm fine."

"Y-You sure?"

"Yeah, but your dad's kinda. . . scaring me." I looked up at Sieghart, who seemed to be emitting a purple aura.

"Well. . . I only see him like this very rarely. . . But he always protects me. . ." Well, that was reassuring. I think.

Sieghart performed that move again, but it seemed to be different, more stronger.

"Well, hope he can dodge," Arme muttered, before she teleported behind Octus. Soon, I saw waves of lava erupt from the ground. Sieghart began the move once again.

"He really doesn't like Octus. . ." Lass muttered grimly.

"I can tell. . ." Lire said.

As the purple energy struck Octus, purple spikes seem to erupt through Octus, almost hitting Arme.

Lass ran over to Octus and leaped up into the air, throwing blue-white waves of energy at Octus, almost hitting Arme as well.

"I swear they're after me. . ." I could hear Arme say.

Octus seemed to revert back to his normal state again after Lass' attack.

"Don't kill him," Arme said, looking at Sieghart.

"Spare me!" Octus said weakly, coughing.

"Of course. . ." Arme said. "Who controlled you? That same, dark being again?"

"I can't remember. . ."

"Well, you should go into hiding, perhaps, to try and avoid it for the third time."

"I guess. . . Stupid Lenasian. . ." He seemed to be cursing his own brother.

"Lenasian?" Arme seemed confused. "What did he do?"

"Nothing!" Octus cried out, before he ran into the woods, despite his state. With Octus gone, Sieghart turned his attention to Elesis.

"Elesis, are you alright?" he asked. Sieghart looked quite a lot like a normal, doting father.

"Y-Yeah. . . I think so. . ." she answered, weakly. She began to lean against me and say, "I'm still a little sore, however." I felt the heat rush to my face.

"Ronan, correct?" Sieghart said, crossing his arms. Eep.

"Yes, sir," I said, meekly.

"You may call me by my name, Sieghart, as all the others do," he said.

"All. . .?" Elesis said, sounding innocent.

"You can just call me Daddy." Sieghart looked at his daughter, with a look of adoration. How cute. . . I was still nervous.

"However, Ronan, you wish to give my daughter your last name, Erudon, if I'm not mistaken?" His attention was turned back to me.

"Yes, Sieghart, sir," I said. I was scared.

He rubbed his chin before he said, "Hm. Fine. You obviously love each other very much. . ."

"Of course we do!" Elesis said.

"And you've been through much, haven't you?" Elesis and I nodded.

Then Sieghart noticed the wound on my neck. "Was that a wound by a sword?"

"Yes," I squeaked. I must've sounded so pathetic!

"That was. . . made by Kaze'aze," Elesis explained.

"So, she wants to mess with my son-in-law?" Sieghart crossed his arms, looking somewhat angry. Wait, did he call me. . .

"S-So you approve?" I asked hopefully. It seemed as if he was thinking about his answer.

"Oh, just say yes, father!" Elesis said impatiently, though she didn't sound mad.

"Ah, oh, yes, of course!" Sieghart said, with a smile. I was so happy, I wouldn't even have noticed if I was being stabbed in the stomach.

Happy as well, Elesis hugged her father, then me.

"Th-Thank you!" I cried out, a bit loudly, as I held Elesis close to me, who kissed me on the cheek. I kissed her back, as I felt the warmth flood through me.

"Guys," Arme said, interrupting the moment, "I'm going to chase after Octus." Without letting us answer, she ran off.

Just as she disappeared, turning to Lass, Sieghart said, "So. Who're you?" Lass looked frightened.

"Bad time for Arme to run off," I heard Lire mutter. I couldn't agree more.

"I'm just a thief!" Lass cried out, his voice a couple pitches higher. "An Assassin! Dark Assassin!"

"So you assassinate?" Sieghart asked, with a glint in his eyes. Bad thing to say, Lass.

"It's my j-Don't kill me!" Lass turned invisible, only detectable by the sounds of his footsteps and the footprints in the ground.

"Get back here!" Sieghart yelled, following Lass.

"Uh," Lire said. "Well, it's what his kind are called. . ."

Either way, I felt Lass should've just said he was an Evan Striper. After all, who could really know what that was, except for us? And, well, perhaps the Assassin Guild or whatever Lass came from.


	39. Chapter 38: Dead or Alive?

**Author's Note**: I got in the mood to write, and when I do, I write. So, two chapters in one day, yays.

--

I felt someone run into me from behind.

"Huh?" I turned around, seeing no one. I had a guess who it might've been though.

"Hm?!" I heard, before the sound of footsteps disappeared into the distance. Whoever it was was gone, though there were leaves falling from the trees now.

Looking up, I asked, "Who's there?" I was answered with a "Go away."

"Hmph. I know you're not Lass now. Show yourself or face my wrath." I took out my War Staff, ready to attack, if needed.

"Please, no!" the voice pleaded.

"Then who are you?!" I demanded. "Show yourself now or I will burn you to a crisp!" My staff was glowing brightly now, and I wanted to stab it into the ground. Why did it have to glow so brightly?!

A bit of rustling told me that whoever it was had dropped down from the trees, and it turned out to be Jin.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked.

"Leave me alone," Jin answered coldly. Then he turned and ran, leaving me a bit confused. Before I could ponder more, however, I heard yelling in the distance.

"What was that," I muttered to myself.

"Ack, please!" That sounded like Lass! I ran in the direction of his voice, and saw that Lass was being pulled by his hair by Sieghart.

"What the hell?" I asked. "Lass, what's going on?"

"He misunderstood me when I said I was an assassin," he told me, almost sounding like he was whining.

"Uh, Sieghart, Lass doesn't assassinate people," I said to Sieghart. "He assassinates monsters."

"Oh," Sieghart said. "Should've said that in the first place." He let go of Lass, who face-first into the ground.

I walked over to him and gave him a hug, asking, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Lass answered, rubbing his hair a bit.

"Uh, where's Elesis and Ronan?" I asked.

"What?!" Lire exclaimed from behind. Apparently she had followed Sieghart. "She was here just a minute ago!" Oh great.

"Ronan disappeared right after Elesis did, I think," Lire said.

"Better find them before Elesis gets hurt again," I said, deciding to abandoning my search for Octus. "Oh, and I found Jin, but he ran off." Sieghart seemed to decide then to go after Jin.

Just as he left, I could hear screaming in the distance. That sounded like. . . like. . .

"That. . . sounded like Elesis," Lire said, finishing my thought for me.

"I spoke too soon, dammit!" I nearly yelled. For some reason, there was a deadly chill in the air.

"If they're. . . doing something. . . I hope Sieghart doesn't kill them. . ." Lass said.

"I really doubt Elesis would scream like that unless she was being attacked," I said.

"Unless Ronan was being really rough," Lire said. I looked at Lire.

". . . Uh, yeah. . . Let's just. . . go." I didn't want to talk about what they were doing for another second. In fact, I don't think they were doing _t__hat_ anyway.

I stood up and began to run, followed by Lass and Lire. It wasn't long before I bumped into Ryan, who seemed to have came out from nowhere.

"Watch it!" I snapped, then asked a bit more nicely, "Did you see Elesis and/or Ronan?"

"N-No!" Ryan answered, nervously. "I head something, though."

"Same here," I said.

"Let's go investigate," Ryan said, before heading back to Lire and walking at her side.

"I hope those two aren't in trouble," Lire said. I did too, but. . .

"With that screaming, someone is," I told her.

"Sieghart is a bully," Lass whined, rubbing his head again.

"I'm sure he just overreacts," I told him.

"I think he's-" he began, before Sieghart ended up right behind Lass, somehow. "Perfect!" Lass finished, before adding, "Let's get going!" I tried not to laugh. Boys these days.

We weren't walking for long before we ended up in front of a tree, with blood streaming down the trunk. I craned my neck upwards to see what appeared to be a lifeless, bound, beaten, cut-up body of some sort. That's where the blood had come from.

"What's that?!" Ryan asked.

"I think it's. . . it's. . ." I couldn't finish. The red I saw made me fear the worst, and I wasn't talking about the blood, which was darker than the other red.

"I'm on it," Lass said, jumping up onto a nearby branch and cutting the ropes that bound the body.

"It's. . . Elesis," Lire said. Her voice sounded. . . hollow.

"Elesis!" Sieghart yelled, as he caught her body.

"N-No. . ." I said. How could this have happened?!

"Who would do such a thing?!" Ryan asked.

"K-Kaze'aze. . ." Lire answered.

"Of course. . ." Lass said from the tree. He was looking at Sieghart and Elesis.

"Elesis, are you all right?" Sieghart asked. The hope was clear in his voice. Of course, there was no response.

"S-She's dead. . ." I said, stating the obvious.

A purple aura of some sort, that we had seen earlier, began to emanate from Sieghart.

"Whoa, Sieghart, s-sir!" Ryan cried out. "Calm down!"

"T-This can't be happening. . ." My voice nearly cracked. "Where's Ronan?"

"I don't know," Lass said, looking around. "I don't see him. . ."

"D-Do you think he already found her?" Lire asked. No one answered her.

Silent, I saw Ryan tried to perform a Resurrection. It was evident by the slight glow of green surrounding him, but it didn't work. I think Elesis was dead for too long for it to work.

Sieghart held his daughter close to him as a few tears fell from his face. "How dare she. . ."

"G-Guys, I think we need to find Kaze'aze, before Ronan does and. . ." I hesitated. "Kills himself. . ."

Lire seemed to be looking at Elesis a bit intently. "Uhm. . . right. . ."

"Something wrong, Lire?" I asked.

"Uhm, no, i-it's nothing," she said, though from the sound of her voice, it seemed to be something.

"Let's move," I said. I wanted to find Ronan or Kaze'aze, either one, before they both found each other.

Setting Elesis' lifeless body onto the ground, Sieghart said, "Give me a few minutes. I'll catch up."

"May I stay with you, Sieghart, sir?" Lire asked.

"Lire?" I was curious now.

"Don't worry, I'll catch up with Sieghart, if he'll allow me to stay," Lire said.

"Yes, of course. . ." Sieghart's voice was thick, as he tried to stop crying.

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't get into any trouble, please," Ryan told Lire.

"I'll try not to, Ryan," she said, kissing him.

I turned and began heading off, not caring if the others were following. I just wanted to move now.

"Where the hell is Kaze'aze?!" I nearly yelled, after what seemed to be hours of walking, though it was really only ten minutes.

"I don't know," Lass answered, from somewhere above in the trees.

"She should be around here somewhere," Ryan said.

"Kaze'aze, show yourself!" I yelled out. Then I noticed a cavern ahead of us.

"I'll investigate," Lass said, as he ran in.

"Hey, wait!" Ryan shouted. He walked over to the entrance of the cave, but as soon as he got there, Lass voice rang out. "Oh my god!"

"What?" I asked, a bit fearful. Ryan began to run in, but Lass came and stopped him.

"Stop!" Lass shouted. "The cavern's layered with booby traps, but Ronan. . ."

"What about Ronan?!" I demanded.

"He got caught. . . in. . ." Lass couldn't finish. I feared the worst now.

"No!" I ran in, ignoring Lass' cries, but nothing seemed to happen. What I saw chilled my blood.

In front of me was something I had seen only once before, but I still recognized it. It looked old, and paint was scraped away in multiple places. Some parts of it was cracked from age, but it seemed to still work. The Iron Maiden was closed, signifying that it had caught someone, or something. Pieces of metal lay strewn around it. It was Ronan's tyrfing, shattered into pieces.

"N-No. . ." My voice sounded tiny in the cavern. "T-Two. . . are dead. . ."

Ryan came over, unharmed, and tried to pry it open. "Ronan?" he whispered. I heard a thud behind me, and when I turned to look, it was Lass, who had fallen to the ground.

Finally, Ryan managed to crack it open, and when he did, blood began to stream out. He stumbled back in shock. I moved around him and the broken tyrfing pieces to look in. I couldn't see anything, but as soon as Ryan tried to pull at it again, I could.

There were numerous spikes, though some seemed to have broken off, and some missing altogether. None had pierced through the skull or chest area of the one inside it. I had hope that Ronan was still alive then.

"No, Ronan. . ." I heard Ryan say in disbelief. He was about to try and revive Ronan when he spoke.

"Stop. . ." his voice cracked as he spoke.

"He's. . . alive?" Lass came over to us, apparently recovered. I began to hear something, and thought it to be ghosts, ready to take Ronan from us.

"I want to die with. . . Elesis. . ." Ronan managed to say, before he began to cough. Blood began to stream from his mouth now.

I heard footsteps now, and a familiar voice. "G-Guys, I fo-Ronan?!" Looks like Lire had finally caught up to us.

Ryan covered his eyes with his arm, trying not to cry, and apparently oblivious to Lire's appearance.

"Kill me!" Ronan rasped, and began to cough up blood again.

"No, Ronan!" Lire cried out. "Ryan, revive him!" Apparently she thought that Ronan had died. She didn't have a good view of Ronan, but the blood was an indicator.

"I can't, he's alive!" Ryan told her.

"T-Then Arme, heal him! Don't let him die!" Lire begged. I wasn't sure if I should, as Ronan wanted to join Elesis, but. . . I just wasn't sure any longer.

"Kill me!" Ronan yelled.

"B-But. . ." I couldn't just kill Ronan!

"But. . . Elesis, she's not dead!" Lire shouted out. What?! Elesis wasn't?!

"Wh-What. . .?" Ronan croaked.

"Who was it?" Lass asked, looking a little pale.

"A doll. . ." Lire said softly. "It was just a doll, created out of magic. . ."

"Where's Sieghart?" Lass asked.

"Back there somewhere," she said, pointing behind her.

"I'll kill you!" someone shouted. A ton of birds took flight, startled by the noise.

"I'm going to die. . . aren't I. . .?" Ronan asked. No duh.

"You can't!" I said. Against my instincts, which were telling me to run and hide, I reached into the Iron Maiden and pulled Ronan out, being careful of the spikes, slick with blood. I tried to heal him with my magic.

"I'm going to die in vain. . ." Ronan whispered. "I've lost too much blood. . ." The ground was turning redder and redder with his blood, still spilling out from his wounds.

"No, how could you even have done something so stupid. . ." I muttered, as I kept activating the magic. Soon, Ronan passed out, and I feared the worst.

"Is he okay?" Lass asked.

"I don't know," I told him, my staff glowing and dimming, glowing and dimming, over and over again. Ryan looked sick, from all the blood.

"Ele. . .s. . ." Ronan whispered, in his unconsciousness. He jerked, opening up his neck wound once more.

"Please, don't die," I whispered, as I began to bandage up the wounds. Ronan was as pale as snow, and his breathing was shallow, growing even more so with each passing minute.

"I think Kaze'aze. . . kidnapped Elesis," Lire whispered.

"If he d-dies. . ." I said, "Ryan, try and revive him. . ."

"O-Okay. . ." Ryan said, nodding.

"I-Is Kaze'aze in here?" Lire asked.

"Dunno," I answered. If she was here, we wouldn't be able to stop her this time.

I wasn't sure how long it was until Ronan's breathing grew a bit more even, more deeper. I was so relieved, but it seemed as if he was having a nightmare right now.

"Someone take him outside and wait with him, as the rest of us move deeper in," I said.

"I'll do it," Ryan volunteered. "I need some fresh air anyway." Ryan _did_ look a bit green. Hopefully he wouldn't lose his lunch while we were here.

Ryan picked up Ronan carefully, and began to make his way outside.

"Try not to get sick," I called out to Ryan.

"I already am. . ." he said.

"Fine, try not to puke over him," I told Ryan. No one liked being thrown up on, not even the dead, I figured.

Lass looked a bit shaken, as he watched Ryan leave with Ronan. "I bet he feels bad."

"I just hope Ronan will be all right. . ." Lire murmured.

"Is something the matter Lass?" I asked, after I saw him staring at the Iron Maiden. I wanted to get away from that thing as quickly as possible.

"Nothing," Lass muttered. "Nothing's the matter. . ." He looked to the side.

Suddenly, Sieghart walked in, looking quite furious. Immediately, Lass looked from sad to frightened and began to back away. Sieghart looked like a freaking lantern with that purple aura pouring out of him

"So, I'm guessing Sieghart knows as well, right Lire?" I asked, turning to her.

"Yes. . ." she answered.

We all watched as Sieghart walked through the blood, towards the Iron Maiden, as if it weren't there. Suddenly, he cut it in half, as he walked past, not even stopping as the two halves fell down. Shit.

"H-Hey, wait up!" Lass said nervously, as he began to run after Sieghart, followed by me and Lire. I was wondering where the end of this tunnel was going to lead us all. For some reason, I didn't want to know.


	40. Chapter 39: The Ballroom

I swear Sieghart is a demon. He disabled every trap we came to as we continued walking. I was so nervous around him. Suddenly, he turned around and said, "What are you waiting for?! Let's go!"

"Well, you're leading the way, Sieghart," Arme said.

"You're falling behind!" he shouted at us. Uhm, yeah. Arme was a foot behind, and I was right next to Arme. Lire was right behind us.

"Yeah. . ." Arme muttered, apparently annoyed.

"Not like I want to die, but I think you're getting paranoid," I told Sieghart. Then, "I don't want to die."

It seemed as his aura was pouring out of him as he took a deep breath and turned to look at me. I felt ten years of my life fade away.

"Ugh," was all Sieghart said, as he let out a deep breath. The aura seemed to die down. Whew!

"You looked like a purple flame without a lantern," I muttered.

Sieghart put his sword on his shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to die?"

"Let's not fight now. . ." Arme said.

"We aren't fighting!" both me and Sieghart said, at the same time, before glaring at each other.

"Just how old are you?!" he asked me.

"Oh, ow," I answered, lowering my head.

"My staff will turn into more than just a glowing stick if you two don't quit arguing," Arme threatened. Eep.

Sieghart began walking again, but he kept talking. "What, older than you look?"

"No," I said. ". . . Maybe." I was never going to tell anyone how old I was. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Arme sighed, then muttered, "I have a Firestorm that's itching to roast." I looked away.

"Well, since you asked how old Lass was, how old are _you_, Sieghart?" Arme asked.

Sieghart tripped, and I laughed. "Wouldn't he be crippled if he were sixty?" I taunted.

"Hm, why do I suddenly feel I can rule the world. . .? Oh well." Sieghart shrugged. For some reason, the cavern seemed to be smaller.

"Is it me, or is it getting smaller in here?" Arme asked. I think she was right. Sieghart bumped his head on the ceiling.

"Yeah, it's getting smaller," Arme muttered. Arme was becoming pressed against my side, while Lire let out a squeak.

"Arme, I see an opening!" Sieghart exclaimed. "You're small, try getting in!" Hey, Arme's not small, she's just. . . younger!

"Oh, sure. . ." Arme muttered, and crawled into the cramped space. "Hm." I heard her from under us, then a shout of "Firestorm!" and immediately backed away, nearly getting hit by the debris. As soon as it all settled, I saw that Arme had blasted us a nice opening for us to stand in.

I covered my eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness. "Wow, that's bright." As soon as I could see again, I saw that we were in what seemed to be a beautiful ballroom.

The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling glittered, as the light from inside them hit the small crystals. They hung from a shaft that looked like pure gold. The walls of the ballroom were a light lavender color, and sparkled. I think they and the floor were made of some type of gem. There was a soft, plush carpet sprawled on the ground, and had a lovely pattern on it.

"A ball room. . .?" I heard Arme say, snapping me out of my observation.

Then I noticed that there were two people on the other side of the room.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I heard. "I designed it myself." Was that. . .?

"That voice. . . Jin?" Sieghart said.

"I don't see Elesis. . ." Arme muttered.

"What the hell, Jin, are you doing here?" Sieghart demanded.

"Jin?" Jin looked confused. "Oh, right. . . This is Kaze'aze speaking through her favorite pet." I was glad that _I_ wasn't her favorite pet. But, I felt bad for Jin.

"Oh, not again," Arme murmured.

"I didn't know that Jin was so weak at mind," Sieghart muttered.

"You wouldn't believe what he did to us. . ." Arme said. I didn't want to remember.

"Let's save that for later," Sieghart said, then turned to Jin. "Kaze'aze, who do you think you are?" A bit of the purple aura began to emanate from him as he walked forward.

"Dammit, Kaze'aze, where's Elesis?" Arme asked.

"Who?" Jin asked. "Oh, her. Hm, I don't know."

"I know you're hiding her somewhere!" Arme said, with a hint of a snarl in her voice. Sometimes, Arme could seem quite. . . feral.

"Really? I was too busy complimenting my sense of fashion." Jin looked up at the middle chandelier.

"Your sense of fashion is terrible," Arme muttered.

"Oh, I wouldn't think so," Jin responded.

"What is all of this, hm?" Sieghart asked.

"Are you having a party. . .?" Arme asked softly.

"Yes," Jin answered, with a smile. "With you all!" He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, I couldn't move my body. It was as if I was frozen into place. Lire, Arme, and Sieghart looked as if they were as well.

"H-Huh?" Arme managed to say.

"Now, dance!" Jin cried, snapping his fingers again. Suddenly, against my will, I grabbed Lire's hands and began to dance with her.

"Whoa, can't I dance with Arme?" I asked loudly. Lire looked too surprised to even answer.

I saw that Sieghart had moved in front of Arme, and said, "I hate this," as he began to dance with her. Despite how much I feared Sieghart, I wanted to punch him in the face. Even if it wasn't his fault.

"This is fun!" Jin said gleefully, as he turned and began to dance with the second person. I wasn't able to see who it was, but I could tell it was female.

"Damn you Kaze'aze, what the hell is this?" Arme asked.

"Whee," I said, as I began to get dizzy from turning in circles so much, yet I kept dancing. Then I noticed the glowing object in Arme's hand. She still had her staff. Her voice resonated through the room as she summoned meteors from thin air.

"Yeah, right," Jin said, scoffing. He tossed the girl in front of him, using her as a shield from the meteors. She let out a grunt of pain.

"Oh, no, you've hurt her," Jin said, faking concern.

"Who is that. . ." Arme murmured.

Dropping her, Jin said, "Find out yourself." He kicked her to us.

It was Amy.

"Amy?" Arme said, astonished. Y'know, I _had_ wondered where Amy had gone to. Looks like she was here.

"Jin was always fond of her," Jin muttered, looking over at us.

"How cruel," Arme said.

"Well." Jin looked at Amy, then Sieghart. "Looks like the Silver Knights are together, right, Sieghart?"

"Shut up," Sieghart muttered as Arme muttered, "Rot in hell, Kaze'aze. . ."

"I'll see you there," Jin said back, then snapped his fingers. Suddenly, we all dropped to the floor, unable to move.

"Get off!" Arme yelled, as Sieghart was pinned on top of her. Ooh, boy. . .

"I can't move!" Sieghart yelled back.

Arme managed to flick her staff over to face Jin, and let loose a bolt of electricity, succeeding in shocking Sieghart.

"Stop it!" Sieghart screamed. I could see purple starting to emanate from him, and he began to move, slowly.

"Hey, Arme, make him angry," I managed to say, underneath Lire. For an elf, she was a tad heavy. Or, maybe that was just me.

"Er. . ." Arme pondered the thought, before she let loose more electricity.

"I said _stop_," Sieghart growled. "Don't get me mad!"

"Well, if you can move if you're mad, so. . ." Arme let out more electricity. Suddenly, Sieghart got up, his hair sticking out even more so.

"Grah!" he cried out and picked me out, knocking Lire away, and threw me at Jin. Hey!

"What?!" Jin cried, as I flew through the air.

"Why Lass?" Arme asked.

"I can't hit a girl," Sieghart answered. Oh, gee, what a gentleman. Ass.

Well, he hit Jin. Or, rather, _I_ hit Jin. From the view I was at, which was upside-down, facing Arme, Sieghart, and Lire, I saw Sieghart storming over to us. Jin was trying to get me off.

"Ha ha ha! Ow!" I cried, as I was knocked off Jin as Sieghart grabbed Jin by the foot, and tied him to one of the lower chandeliers close to the wall.

"Blood. . . rushing. . . head. . ." Jin croaked. "Stop, I can't breathe!" Jin's face was looking kind of red.

"Where's my daughter?!" Sieghart demanded.

I saw Arme standing up. "I can move again!"

"What daughter?" Jin said innocently, as I began to stand up, dizzy.

Sieghart grabbed his sword and stabbed the wall next to Jin's face, just mere inches away. "Talk or I'll rip your favorite toy to shreds." Eep. Would Sieghart _really_ do that to Jin?

"You wouldn't do that!" Jin said, his voice a pitch higher. Sieghart looked ready to kill, a bit psychotic. . . in a baaaaaad way.

"Tell us, or he will," Arme muttered.

"G-Gack," Jin said, as he struggled to raise his arm, pointing at the largest chandelier, in the middle.

Looking up, Arme said, "There?"

Sieghart raised his foot and put it on Jin's neck. "Really, now?"

"Yes, really!" Jin shrieked.

"Hm." Lire jumped in that fancy way elves do, and managed to get onto the chandelier.

"Now release Jin!" Sieghart demanded, chocking the fighter even more.

"Okay, o-ack-kay!"

"I don't see her," Lire reported, just as Kaze'aze's spirit left Jin. Crap!

"Wait, dammit!" Sieghart yelled, just as the chandelier began to fall. Crap, Lire was on there!

"Hold on!" I yelled, as I jumped up and grabbed a hold of her. "Grab on to me!" I felt her hold onto my neck as I began to jump. Just then, though, something caught my eye and I grabbed it as the chandelier began to fall. I jumped off as it shattered to the floor.

Letting Lire down, I said, "Hey, this is pretty!" The gold ring I had grabbed shone slightly in the light, and I put it on my finger. It looked familiar, though. . .

"Hey, that's not yours!" Sieghart cried out. Well, who's was it then?

"Uh, Lass?" Arme said. "That's Elesis' ring."

"O-Oh!" I said, taking it off. Great, I wore someone else's engagement ring.

"But. . . no Elesis," Arme continued.

"Ugh. . ." I heard someone groaning. "Who. . . Sieghart?"

"So you're conscious now," Sieghart said, cutting the ropes that held Jin. He fell to the floor with a dull thud, but managed to stand up quickly. Leaning against the wall, Jin asked, "Where am I?"

"In a ball room Kaze'aze made," Arme answered.

"Huh. . ." Jin looked dazed, then his eyes widened as he saw Sieghart. "You're Sieghart?! Why are you here? I guess those rumors really were true." Rumors? What rumors?

"Yes, they were true," Sieghart said. "But there's not time for that now. My daughter is missing."

"Where can she be?" Arme started looking around the room, trying to find something.

Meanwhile, I was feeling dizzy again, both from dancing and being thrown, and as I walked, I felt the floor disappear underneath me. Was I being thrown again?

"Lass!" Arme cried out.

"Don't worry," I called out, a feeling a bit better, "it was only three feet. I think I landed on something though." I felt around.

"What did you land on?" Lire asked.

I picked something up and waved it around, unaware of what it was, until I counted five stubs. . . and felt flesh.

"Ah, a corpse!" I yelled. "It's a mosque!" Dropping the arm, I walked back a bit and tripped over something. Looking at what I tripped on, I saw familiar red hair. Elesis!

"I mean a morgue!" I called out, then I said, "I found Elesis!" Standing up, I took a closer look at her. She was tied up, and blindfolded. Looked like Elesis wasn't awake.

"Elesis?!" Sieghart looked down from the place I fell through. Looks like I feel through a trapdoor. Yikes.

As I was complaining about dead bodies, Lire jumped down and asked, "What is this area? Is she alive?"

"She better be!" Sieghart cried out. "Or I'll kill that Kaze'aze!" I could see that Sieghart's aura was coming out strong again, and it lit up the hole.

"Kill Kaze'aze, regardless," Arme muttered.

With the light, I could see, then the runes that were on the ground. What were they?

"Let's get Elesis out of here," Lire said. "We can check on her in a safe place. I have a bad feeling about this place." I stood up, ready to carry Elesis out, when I stepped on one of the runes. Suddenly, something exploded, and my hair ended up a bit on fire.

"What's with people and my hair?!" I cried out, putting the fire out.

"Uh, Lass, let's get her out of here," Lire said, her voice shaking slightly.

"And if she gets killed by a reckless slip-up like that, I'll kill you," Sieghart told me. Quickly, I picked Elesis up, who felt a bit light, and double-jumped my way out of the place. Looking back, I saw Lire accidentally step on one as she jumped. A whirlwind began to form.

Sieghart quickly grabbed Lire's hand and pulled her out. "Arme!" he called.

"What?" Arme responded.

"Do you know how to disarm those things?" he asked.

"I haven't seen those before," Arme told him. "But, I think we'll be fine if no one touches them."

"Alright," Sieghart said. "Jin. Pick up Amy and let's go."

"H-Huh?" Jin looked confused.

"You're one of us, aren't you?" Sieghart crossed his arms. "If you aren't, I can just kill you."

Not saying anymore, Jin picked Amy up and walked over to Sieghart. I could tell he was avoiding looking at us.

"Let's get out," Arme said, before walking towards the exit. I quickened my pace to walk beside her.

"Try not to drop her!" Arme told me, as if I didn't already know.

"I'm fine," I told her, as I jumped over the Iron Maiden we saw earlier, and spotted a rune near the entrance. "Hey, that's like the one I stepped on."

"Don't step on it!"

"Tch." I skidded to a halt, and jumped over it. Turning around, I saw Arme teleport past it, Lire jump over it, and Sieghart jump over it, holding Jin by the collar, pretty much dragging him along. As soon as Jin was on the ground, out of the cave, he set Amy down and looked around.

In the distance, I saw Ronan, who seemed to be having a nightmare, and Ryan, next to him, squirming, holding his eyes, probably in a nightmare as well. This would not be the case for Ryan, unfortunately.

Then I heard an explosion behind me. Looking back, I saw that the cave's entrance had caved in.

"Nice," Sieghart said, sarcastically.

"I didn't think my arrow would drop," Lire said.

Sieghart headed over to Ryan. "Ryan."

"Y-You're b-back?!" Ryan sounded startled. He didn't look up, but he stopped squirming. In fact, he began to shake.

Hugging Ryan, Lire asked, "Ryan, are you okay?"

"Oh, Lire. . ." Ryan's voice was trembling as badly as he was.

"Ryan, what's wrong?" Lire sounded more worried.

Ryan closed his eyes. He had not looked directly at Lire, or any of us, at all. Ryan turned to face Lire, though his eyes were still closed.

"Ryan?" Lire was definitely worried now. "What's wrong? What happened?!"

Finally, Ryan opened his eyes, but he couldn't look at Lire.

"What the hell?!" Sieghart exclaimed.

Ryan's irises, usually a strong green, were now grayed. "I'm blind, Lire. . ."


	41. Chapter 40: Amnesia

**Author's Note**: Please excuse my lack of knowledge on amnesia. Also, multiple PoVs, and one is in third person, technically. And whoot for 40.

--

I knew it was Kaze'aze who blinded Ryan when he told us, "I-I don't know what happened. Something came out of the cave and it passed by me, or maybe through me. I closed my eyes, but when I opened them, it was all black. . ."

Lire was crying at this point. It upset her badly that Ryan was blinded. She cared for him so much. . .

"When I find Kaze'aze," I said, "I'm going to torture her so badly, she'll regret ever messing with us."

"I don't know what to do. . ." Ryan said desperately. "I can't see anything. . . W-Where's Elesis?"

"She's here," I said. "Tied up, but she's fine. I-I think I'll see if I can find something out about your. . . condition." I avoided calling him "blind" for a reason.

Ryan's eyes were directed at the ground, but I knew he wouldn't have seen anything anyway. Lire was hugging Ryan tightly, crying, as if she could do anything about it.

"Lire, it's fine, I'm alive. . ." Ryan said, trying to reassure his beloved. He hugged Lire tightly, shedding a single tear.

"B-But you can't see. . ." Lire said.

"It's fine. . . I mean, I still have love. . ." Ryan said, his voice a bit softer. Lire didn't say anything, just kept hugging Ryan.

Sieghart stared at Ronan, who had murmured something in his sleep.

"I'm going to go look for herbs," I said, before I went into the forest, hoping to be left alone for awhile to think.

--

I was tired, but I still woke up.

"Hey, wake up," I heard Lire say, nudging me in the side. She went over to someone and said, "Hey, you okay?"

"What. . ." I muttered, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Oh, Ronan, you're awake," Ryan said.

"Ronan, come and wake your future wife up," Lire said, looking at me. "I think she's asleep." My future. . . Oh god, they found Elesis!

"Yeah, sleepy head," Lass said jokingly. He was leaning against a tree. When I looked up at Lass, I was smiling. Then I looked over at Elesis and whispered her name, before I started to shake her.

Elesis moved her head slightly, then opened her eyes, just a bit. "Hm. . .?"

"Elesis. . ." I said softly.

"D-Dad. . .?" Her voice cracked slightly from lack of use.

"Right here, sweetie," I heard Sieghart say. He was better to be around when Elesis was there, which I was glad of.

Elesis tried to get up, apparently trying to hug me. She surprised me slightly, but I held her close to me.

"D-Daddy. . ." It sounded as if Elesis was calling for Sieghart.

"Yeah?" Sieghart came closer to the two of us.

"Don't leave me. . ." Elesis seemed to whimper.

"I'm sure neither Ronan or I would ever leave you. . ." Sieghart said softly. Wait. . . I had an odd feeling.

Looking at me, Elesis said, "Daddy? Say something. . ." Oh. Crap.

"Ah, nothing," Sieghart said, chuckling. I think he was a bit dense, not realizing anything wrong, until Elesis looked over at Sieghart and whispered, "Who are you. . .?"

"Excuse me?" Sieghart looked a bit shocked.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing good," Lire answered grimly.

Hugging me again, Elesis said, "Daddy. . ." Uhm. . . I'm not anyone's father.

"Okay, hat the hell?!" Sieghart exclaimed, as I said, "Wait, no! Sieghart's your dad!"

"What has this world come to?" Sieghart said, and slammed his forehead into a tree trunk. In fact, the tree was the one Lass had decided to climb into just before Sieghart came over. Lass fell out of the tre.

"I know what your name is, dad. . ." Elesis sounded confused.

"Gack, no!" I cried. "I'm Ronan!"

"Great." I looked over at Ryan as he began to turn into a wolf. Not exactly a fun sight. "I'm going to find Arme."

"Ronan?" Elesis asked.

"Great, now I don't exist," I muttered, and sighed.

"Daddy, didn't you say you had to leave soon?" Why did Elesis almost sound. . . younger? I mean like, a ten-year-old. Or eleven.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You said the Queen called you to go somewhere, remember?" she told me.

"No, _I'm_ your father!" Sieghart pointed to himself. "Yeah?! The one with the sword. . . His weapon's busted!" He pointed at me at that last statement, and I growled slightly.

Looking at Sieghart, Elesis asked, "Who are you? Are you one of the Queen's guards?"

Not answering, Sieghart walked off somewhere.

"Whooo aaare youuu?" Lass teased.

"And who are you?" Elesis asked, after Lass had spoken.

"Oh, okay, fine, Elesis, be that way." Lass pretended to sound hurt.

"She lost her memory, you know that," Lire muttered.

"Sh, she doesn't know!" Lass said. "Ixnay on the alktay!"

Ignoring the moron, I said, "Elesis! I'm Ronan! I'm not your father!"

"Who's Ronan?" she asked me, again.

"I'm. . ." I hesitated. "I'm your fiancée!"

"F-Fiancée?!" Elesis sounded shocked. I tried not to flinch, instead taking out the ring.

"W-What? Who am I marrying?" I was asked.

"Sieghart was the one with black hair. . . I'm not Sieghart, I'm Ronan! Don't you remember?" I must've sounded desperate now.

"But. . . If you're not my father, why do you look like him?" _What_?! I don't look like Sieghart! "And who's Ronan?"

"I'm Ronan!" I almost yelled. "And your father has black hair! I have blue!"

"Who is Ronan. . .?" Oh f-. . .

"This isn't going anywhere," Lass said, stating the obvious.

--

_He wasn't sure how long he walked, but he knew he was too upset to come back. At least, for awhile. Soon, he stopped and took out a small piece of paper. It was crinkled, and yellowed at the edges, but it was still in decent condition. Looking at it, he saw the young, precious child he had raised. Her hair was almost a mix of crimson and pink, and the face she had made him smile._

_Folding the piece of paper and putting it away, he began to walk again._

--

"Hey?" I heard, as I bumped into someone. Arme. At least as a wolf, I could smell well. "What are you doing here, Ryan?"

"Arme! It's Elesis!"

"What about her? Is she hurt?" Arme sounded a bit worried now.

"She doesn't know who Ronan is!" I told her. "She thinks Ronan is Sieghart and she doesn't recognize him nor Lass!"

"I remember this type of amnesia once. She thinks she's back at a time before she joined Grand Chase. . . And then there's something that makes her believe that Ronan is Sieghart. . ." I had never heard of this type of amnesia before.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I dunno," Arme said. "It's sometimes part of the amnesia."

"What're we gonna do?"

"Get her to remember. . ."

"How?!"

"I'm not sure. . . There are many cures for amnesia." Oh, great.

--

"This is like pulling teeth," Lass said.

"Okay, I'm _Ronan_. That man in black with the sword is _Sieghart_!" I tried to explain, _again_.

"But. . ." Oh great, not again. . . My patience was running thin, and that rarely happened with Elesis. Then again, she wasn't exactly herself. I think. "If he's daddy. . . why doesn't he look like him?"

"Grah!" I said, and fell over. My head was throbbing.

"Are you okay?" Elesis asked. Well, at least she still worried about others.

"Headache," I told her.

"Do you need some medicine?"

"I'm fine."

"But you said you had a headache, father. . ."

"I'm not your dad!" I was getting really annoyed.

"But. . . you look like him. . ."

"Lire, help me!"

"Hey, is that Arme and Ryan?" Lire said. Ryan found Arme?!

I heard a thud as something collided with a tree. Looking up, I saw that Ryan had ran head-first into one. "Ow."

"Ryan!" Lire immediately ran over to the wolf and hugged him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" he said, turning back to himself.

"You should take a nap. . ." Lire sounded a bit like a doting mother.

"That sounds nice. . ." Ryan said, before he laid his head down on Lire's lap and closed his eyes, falling asleep. Kissing him on the head, Lire ended up falling asleep, leaning against a tree.

"So, Elesis has a bit of amnesia. . ." Arme said. "How long has she had it?"

"Since she woke up. . ." Lass informed her.

"Something must have happened to her. . . Elesis, who are you?" Arme asked.

"I'm Elesis. . . And who are you?" Elesis asked.

"A friend of your father's," Arme said. Oh great, I feel old, being called a father.

"Father. . ." Not again. "When are you leaving again?!"

"He's leaving soon, I believe," Arme told Elesis. Wait, what?

"Huh?" I looked at Arme.

Whispering to me, Arme said, "Leave. Just hide somewhere." Well. . . Arme was the smart one here.

Standing up, I kissed Elesis on the forehead before I ran off in the direction that Sieghart had disappeared in.

"Bye father. . ." I heard Elesis say. I hoped that the next time I saw Elesis, she would be calling me "Ronan" again.

–

As soon as Ronan left, I whacked Elesis on the head with my staff. "Solution one: Bonk on the head."

"Ow!" Elesis cried out. "Why'd you do that?!"

"To make you remember," I told her.

"Remember what?"

"Remember who everyone is."

"But-"

"No 'buts'," I said, interrupting. "Who am I?"

"A friend of your father's. . ." Elesis answered, warily.

". . . That didn't work right," I said. I wanted her to say my name but. . . "Lemme think."

"Drop her on her head," Lass suggested. Uh, no.

Taking out some herbs, I said, "I don't know too much on cures, but I read a book on them a bit. Someone make her some tea. And, Lass, I think that would break her skull." Not like it really could, but still.

Giving the herbs to Lass, I asked him to make some tea.

"But, I don't know how to!" he whined.

"Get some water, boil the herbs for a bit, and there's the tea," I told him.

"Okay." He ran off towards the river that had the piranhas.

Soon, Lass returned with a cupful of tea. Or, well, a rockful of tea, since he used a rock. Hope he cleaned that.

"Give it to her," I told him

Walking over to Elesis, Lass gave the rock to her.

"Drink that," I told her.

"Is it safe?" she asked.

"Drink it," Lass said, grumbling. What was wrong with Lass?

Elesis drank it, then made a weird face. "Ew." I grabbed the rock and sniffed it. "I think you boiled it too long."

"Lies!" Lass cried out. Then I saw the smoke, as did Lass. "Shit." He ran off into the direction of the smoke.

"Who's he?" Elesis asked, after a few minutes. I realized she was talking about Jin. Just seeing him made me remember.

"That's just some random guy," I told her. Sighing, Jin looked away.

Soon Lass came back, smelling like burnt grass.

"Jin looks awful glum," Lass said, dusting himself.

"Probably upset at being possessed so much," I said.

"Reminds me of me," Lass said, sarcastically.

"But less cute," I murmured, blushing slightly.

"Aw," Lass said.

Turning to Jin, I said, "Jin, quit being so glum."

"Not like you care," he muttered.

"Hmph, I still haven't forgiven you after what you did, anyway." He looked away.

"And you wonder why he's glum," Lass said, scratching his head. Then he looked at Elesis. "Do you know who I am?"

"No. . ." Elesis answered.

"Great."

"Maybe Ronan should give Elesis a kiss," I muttered. I was just throwing out random ideas now.

"She's freak out," Lass said, hearing me.

"Have her close her eyes then," I said. Then I yelled, "Ronan, where are you?!" Well, it was worth a shot. I recalled that some things can trigger memories, and since the two were lovers. . .

Jumping behind Elesis, Lass clamped his hands over his eyes, blocking her vision.

"W-What are you doing?!" she asked, sounding slightly hysterical.

Ronan jumped down from a tree.

"Just trying to figure out how to cure your amnesia," I told her.

"Help!" Elesis yelled. "Help me!" Sheesh.

"What do you want?" Ronan whispered.

"Give her a kiss," I said.

"What?! Do you think that would work?" Ronan seemed a bit skeptical.

"It's worth a try," I told him.

"Okay. . ." He didn't look convinced it would work.

"Lemme see!" Elesis cried out.

"No way!" Lass said. Elesis tried to hit Lass. "Let me go! Help!"

"Ack! I'm not letting go!" he told her.

"Hold her still!" I said.

"Lemme go! Someone help!" Elesis kept yelling. Getting a bit annoyed, Lass tied some cloth over her eyes, then held her hands. "There."

"Helphelphelp!" she practically shrieked.

Sighing, Ronan walked over to Elesis, got onto his knees, and kissed Elesis.

"Mmph!" She kicked Ronan. Hard.

"Ow!" Ronan cried out, and ran behind a tree.

"W-Who the hell just kissed me?!" Elesis demanded. Great, it didn't work.

"I did!" Lass said. "Psych!" He took the cloth off of Elesis and let her go. He got a kick from her in return.

"Where's my father. . ." Elesis asked, after kicking Lass.

"He's gone," Lass said, jumping up and down in pain. "You won't see him for a long time."

"What?! Why?"

"Business," was all Lass said, as he crossed his arms and leaned against another tree.

"But. . ." Elesis started.

"Hm?"

"I don't want him to go. . . or I'll be lonely. . ." Elesis sounded sad.

"You won't be," Lass said. "Trust me."

"Why. . .?"

"Because you have friends."

"But. . . where. . . why. . ." Elesis sounded both sad _and_ confused this time.

"Us," Lass said, motioning to me, him, Lire, and Ryan. Then pointed at Jin. "Except maybe not him."

I heard Jin growl slightly. Then Elesis whispered something, though I couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Hm?" Lass said.

"Where. . . is everyone. . .?" Okay, what?

"What do you mean?" Lass asked.

"Where is everybody. . .?" Elesis repeated.

"What?" Lass looked as confused as I felt.

Looking around, Elesis said, "Some people are missing. . ." Wait, did she. . . regain her memory?

"Like who?" Lass asked.

"Uhm. . . my father. . . and I don't know who else. . ." Elesis murmured.

"Uh, this guy?" Lass took out the picture of Sieghart that Ronan had.

"A-And where's, uhm. . . the others. . .?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Uhm. . . Him. . . the. . . other one. . . t-the one who kissed me. . ." Did she remember Ronan?!

"Arme?" Lass asked, annoyed.

"T-That's his name?" Elesis asked, confused.

"No, _I'm_ Arme," I said.

"Then. . . what's his name. . .?" Elesis asked.

"You mean Ronan?" Lass said.

"I. . . think?" I was so hopeful now.

"Where's the ring?" I asked. From the trees, Ronan tossed it down to me. Catching it, I held it out to Elesis and asked, "Is this yours?"

She took it from me. "M-M-My. . . ring. . . I'm. . . married. . ." Yes! She's remembering!

"Yes. . . you are. . ." I said. "Wait. . . Oh great, I'm getting amnesia myself, you're _engaged_, not married. Yet." Well, close enough.


	42. Chapter 41: Annoyance

"Ronan, where are you?" I heard Arme calling for me, so I dropped down from the trees.

As soon as I came down, Arme told me, "Go and give Elesis a hug or something."

"Uh. . ." I hesitated a bit. I could still remember the sharp pain when Elesis kicked me. Still, I walked over to her and smiled. She simply tilted her head to the side, as if she were a curious little puppy. Cute, curious, and able to attack.

Hoping she wouldn't hit me again, I bent down and hugged Elesis gently. "You remember me, don't you?" I softly said to her.

Elesis didn't answer me, but she rested her head on my shoulder.

"Do you remember?" Lass asked.

"Elesis?" Arme said.

I heard Elesis' breathing grow deeper, and realized she was sleep. . . I sighed. Then I felt movement on my shoulder and realized Elesis was now looking at me, one eye closed. She looked tired.

"Elesis?" I whispered.

"When are we getting married?" she whispered to me. She. . . remembers. . . me. . .

"As soon as we get back," I told her, with a smile.

"How long will that be?" Elesis asked me.

"Soon, I pray, soon. . ." I told her. "Now, go to sleep." I kissed her on the cheek. She was soon asleep, against my shoulder.

"Looks like she remembers now," Arme said.

"Yeah," was all I said before I drifted asleep myself.

--

Arme began to head off to the river.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"I'm going to make some tea. And. . . make a drink for Ryan," she told me.

"And don't get too close to the water!" I said.

"More piranhas?"

"Maybe."

"I will."

It was some time later before Arme came back. Ryan had woken up during that time, and was leaning against a tree, looking a bit limp.

"You okay Ryan?" Arme asked. "You look kinda. . . limp."

"I'm fine," Ryan said. "What's Jin doing? He's been quiet."

Looking at Jin, Arme said, "He's just sitting there. Why do you ask?"

"He seemed a little unnerved the last time we saw him, I think."

"It could've been Kaze'aze's possession. . ." Arme muttered, then said, "Ryan, drink this." She went over to Ryan and put a cup in his hands.

Ryan lowered his head and sniffed it a bit, before drinking it slowly. I heard Arme say something, almost like a spell. . .

"What was that?" Ryan asked. Apparently, he had heard it as well.

"A spell to go with your drink," Arme answered.

"Oh, I see." Ryan rubbed his eyes.

"What do you think?" Arme asked hopefully.

"I think I can see a little," Ryan said. "But, it's like a black fog. . ." Wait, was Arme trying to restore Ryan's sight? Jeez, she's such a smart, little mage. And so cute. . .

"Okay. . . I'll go make you another drink, okay?" Arme said.

"Thanks, Arme." Ryan smiled.

"I hope you can see soon, Ryan. . ." Arme murmured, before walking off.

"So do I," Ryan said, with a sigh. Then he said, "Huh?" He seemed to be looking in Jin's direction. He was looking at Ryan, almost enviously, but then turned away.

"Lire. . ." Ryan murmured, as Lire's snoring began to grow a tad louder.

Lire woke up and looked around. "Where's Arme?"

"She went to make some tea. . ." Ryan said. "I can see a little clearer now." The look of surprise on Lire's face was so obvious, I almost laughed. Luckily, I didn't.

"R-Really?!" Lire exclaimed, and then hugged Ryan, tightly. "I'm so glad. . ."

"Me too. . ." Ryan murmured.

"Say, is Sieghart back yet?" Lire asked. Ooh, right, I forgot about that guy. Wonder where he went off to?

"I don't think so," Ryan said.

"Well, hopefully Elesis will remember him."

There was some rustling in the bushes, and then a sword stuck out. It looked like Sieghart's.

"Sieghart?" Lire tried to look into the bushes.

"Yeah, it's me. I kinda got lost," Sieghart said, stepping out of the bushes.

"Er, lost?"

"Yep."

"Well, Elesis won't call Ronan 'dad' anymore, now," Lire told Sieghart.

"Hm, really? That's good," Sieghart said, looking a bit happy.

"But, I'm not sure if she'd remember anyone else right now," Lire said.

"Oh." Sieghart rubbed his head and yawned. "I'm gonna go to sleep." He drove his sword into the ground and sat next to it, leaning against it, and was soon asleep. How. . . odd.

As soon as he was asleep, I heard Arme arrive. Ryan did too and said, "Sieghart's back." I think his hearing grew even better.

"Well, looks like he's asleep," Arme said, then gave Ryan another drink. "Here, drink this."

"I bet I could stare into the sun," Ryan muttered, before drinking it. The drink was accompanied by another spell of Arme's. As soon as Ryan finished, he looked around. "It's a little better."

"I'll try a stronger one then," Arme said, and turned to leave. However, Lire stopped her and said, "Arme. . ."

"Yes?" Arme turned to look at Lire.

"Thank you, for helping Ryan," Lire said, looking happy.

"You're welcome," Arme said. "After all, I know how much you care for him." She smiled before walking away.

Elesis was soon awake. "Ngh, I feel tired. . ."

"Afternoon, Elesis," Lire greeted.

"Is it really that late?" Elesis asked. Noon wasn't _that_ late.

"Yep."

"I feel so tired, though," Elesis said, leaning against Ronan.

"Then, go back to sleep?" Lire suggested. "Oh, and Sieghart's back."

"Father? You mean he left?" Apparently Elesis had amnesia about her, er, amnesia.

"Uh, yeah," Lire said.

I made a weird face at Elesis.

"What?" She looked at me.

"Nothing," I said.

"Tell me or I will Storm Blade you," she threatened. Eep.

As I hid behind Sieghart, Elesis yelled, "Tell me, dammit!"

"Nevah!" I whispered.

As Elesis took her spear out, I said, "Just forget it!"

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"And why is that?"

"Because, to you, it never happened." With that, I jumped into the trees, safe from that long-ass spear.

"I don't get you anymore," Elesis muttered.

Soon, Sieghart fell over and woke up.

"Father!" Elesis cried out, and ran over to hug him.

"Honey!" Sieghart sounded like. . . like a mother. Hah! He hugged Elesis and then said, "Ahm, you're back to your senses," trying to sound a bit more like himself.

As this was going on, Arme gave Ryan yet another drink.

"I hope it works soon," Lire said, "and that you get your full vision back." It was as if her words were a charm. From up in the canopy, I saw Ryan blink once, and saw his eyes shining green, like emeralds. Yeah, his eyes were quite vivid.

"I can see perfectly!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Thank you so much, Arme!" Lire cried out, and hugged Ryan.

"Glad you can see again, Ryan." Arme looked a bit. . . secretive?

"Your. . . breath sounds kind of. . . funny," Lire commented after awhile. Uh-oh.

"Huh?" Ryan said. "Arme, what did you put in this?"

Arme flinched slightly before she said, "I don't think you should ask me that." Then she turned and walked off.

"Arme?!" Ryan cried out, and choked. Oh crap, what did Arme put in it?

"Just know that it healed your vision," Arme called out.

"Water!" Ryan choked.

"The, uh, river!" Lire cried out. "Uh, watch out for piranhas!" She ran off into the direction of the river, Ryan following close by.

"It's better if people don't ask, sometimes," Arme said, sighing.

"Spazzed," Sieghart muttered, as Elesis tried not to laugh.

Soon, Ronan woke up, probably from all the commotion. He looked like he had a nightmare.

"Ronan!" Elesis came over to Ronan and hugged him.

"Huh?!" Ronan looked surprise, but only for a moment, when he realized who it was. "Oh, Elesis." He smiled and returned the hug.

"How was your nap?" Elesis asked.

I felt a rock hit me in the head. What the hell?

"I'd rather not talk about it," Ronan said, as I fell down from the tree. Ow! Who threw that?!

"Why?" Elesis asked. Ronan shook his head. "It was a flashback of something that happened."

"O-Oh." Elesis obviously thought it was. . . You know.

"Oh, you wouldn't know," Ronan said, reassuring her. "Ah, my tyrfing. . . My tyrfing. . . It broke. . . Damn it. . ."

"Y-You need a new one now, don't you?" Elesis said.

"Yes," Ronan said, nodding slightly.

"Well, where'd you get your old one?" Elesis asked.

"I found it," Ronan said. "It was from a monster."

"A monster?"

I got up, grumbling, and climbed into the tree again, trying to fall asleep again, when I got hit by another rock.

"Stoppit!" I snapped.

"It's fun!" Elesis said, sarcastically. Asshole!

I turned over, trying to get more comfortable, and got hit again.

"Go pick on Jin or something," I yelled at her.

"I don't think he'd respond," Elesis told me.

"'Cuz you fucking shun him like he'll jinx you," I told her. "Leave me alone."

"I haven't forgiven him, and I never will," she said. Hmph.

I snapped when I felt yet _anothe_i rock hit me.

"Grawr!" I cried out, and began to throw numerous kunai at her. Immediately, Ronan began to shield her.

"Hey, those are sharp!" Elesis protested. I don't give a damn!

"Leave me alone!" I yelled, and turned over, when I felt something hit my shoulder. For the love of. . .

"You know wha-" I began, angrily, when I was interrupted by a gruff, "What?" Sieghart. Was. Behind. Me.

"Uh. . . U-Uh nothing, sir. . ." I said meekly, when I got hit again.

"Throw a kunai and I'll flay you," Sieghart told me. Elesis snickered.

I leaped out of the trees, and got hi by another rock.

"For the love of. . ." I muttered, absolutely annoyed.

"Elesis, I think you should stop," Ronan said.

"Kya?!" Elesis said, throwing another rock. Why did it look like she was hesitant that time? Either way, I got hit again, and yelled, "You know what?!" I didn't let them respond before I ran off, steaming.


	43. Chapter 42: Introductions Again?

**Author's Note**: Hadn't realized I didn't submit this chapter.

--

What was wrong with me? I only wanted to throw one rock, just for fun, but for some reason, I kept throwing more and more and more, until Lass had enough and ran off. I-I didn't mean to throw more than one!

"Great, he's gone," Ronan muttered. Out of my will, I picked up yet another rock and chucked it high into the air. It made a graceful arc and hit Lass again. What the hell?!

"I'm not coming back!" Lass screamed. Oh, crap.

"Lass, come back!" Arme cried out, then turned to me. "Dammit, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Not letting me answer, she ran after Lass.

"W-What the fuck is wrong with me?" I asked, shakily.

"Ugh," Ronan said, looking a bit annoyed.

I sat down and sighed. "I started doing that out of my own free will. . . I didn't even i_want_/i to throw more at Lass after that first one. . ."

"Hold on, I'm going after him," Ronan said, then ran off.

"Okay. . ." I said, and I laid down on my stomach, burying my face in the dirt.

"Uh, are you okay, Elesis?" I heard Lire ask.

"No," I answered, my voice muffled.

"Where's Lass, Arme, and Ronan?"

I mumbled my answer.

"Huh?" I did it again.

"She was being a jerk to Lass," Sieghart explained, "and Lass ran off and said he wasn't coming back. Arme went after him and Ronan went after the both of them." No, I wasn't being a jerk on _purpose_!

"Elesis. . . That's not like you," Lire said. Of course it wasn't like me!

I rolled over onto my back and said, "Of course it's not like me, I bet I'm under Kaze'aze's stupid control again. . ."

"Well, you were a. . . good target, and I don't mean that in a good way, y'know?" Lire said. Yeah, that made me feel _so_ much better about myself.

"Whatever," I grumbled. "I should just go away and never come back."

"Elesis, don't say that," Lire said.

"I feel like everyone would be better without me!" I yelled.

"No!" Lire cried out. "I think something's just wrong with you, that's all!"

"Aren't you engaged, Elesis?" father asked.

"I don't think so," I muttered. At least, not anymore, after what I did. "Maybe I'll just go. . . for good. . ." My mind was growing dark and muddled.

"Uhm. . . yeah. . . but. . . I feel like. . . I feel like the others would be better off without me. . . And Ronan would just get annoyed of me sooner or later. . ." I said. Yeah. . . Ronan wouldn't want me around anymore.

"If Ronan said that, then he would have most likely not asked me for your hand in marriage, or to ask you yourself," I was told.

"I-I know," I said, "but, that was then. . . and now. . ."

Father sighed. "He has faith in you. You just have to have faith in him. That's one of the ingredients in a healthy relationship."

"I do have faith in him. . ." I said. "It's me that I'm losing faith in. . . I feel as if I could lose control of myself. . ." The urge to attack someone was rushing through me.

"Well, you must know that we have faith in you." Father paused. "All of us."

I sighed. "I guess I'll go and. . . take a walk, to clear my head. I guess. . ."

"As long as you come back," father said. "If not, I'll just have to hunt you down."

"Yes, sir," I said, and walked off.

--

"Poor Elesis," I murmured.

"Was I too harsh?" Sieghart asked.

"No, you're just like how a father should be," I told him. "But I'm worried about Elesis."

"We all are," Sieghart said, then asked, "Hm, I didn't get your name."

"My name's Lire, sir." I was always taught to respect my elders. Well, Sieghart looked a bit young, but he was probably older than me, since he has a child and all.

"Lire," Sieghart said, as if trying my name out. "What about your lover?"

"His name i-" I began, then realized what he had said. "W-Wait, wh-what?! L-Lo-Lover. . .?! W-We haven't even. . ." I-I didn't consider R-Ryan to be my l-lover, j-just loved ones! I was so sure my cheeks were a bright red.

"Hm?"

"I-It's n-nothing," I said, flustered. "His n-name's R-Ryan."

Sieghart rubbed his chin, a blank look on his face. "Oh, right."

"I'm, uh, gonna go find him now, see ya!" I cried, and then ran off. I needed a bit of time to, uhm, cool off.

--

At least we finally found Lass. Ronan was trailing behind me, while Lass was still upset, and a bit grumpy.

"Where's Elesis?" Ronan asked. Oh for the love of. . .

"Where'd she run off to this time?!" I exclaimed.

"She went for a walk," Sieghart said. Okay, good. "Lire left to find Ryan." Well, at least Lire was still close by, for certain.

"Assassin," Sieghart called. Who?

"Uh, yes sir?" Lass answered. Oh.

"What's your name?" Sieghart asked, crossing his arms.

"My name's Lass," he answered.

"Like lassie?" I tried not to laugh, but ended up letting out a small snicker.

"Yes," Lass growled, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry Lass," I said to him.

"Stop looking so cross and get some sleep," Sieghart said. Oh, right, Lass was probably tired.

I went over and hugged Lass. "Want me to help you fall asleep?" I pulled my staff out and gave it a small wave. "I can put you under a spell."

"I'd rather go to sleep with you," Lass murmured in my ear, wrapping an arm around me. I felt my face grow hot.

"W-Well," I stammered. "Uhm, o-okay, i-if you want, Lass." I-I hope he wasn't suggesting anything!

"Ah, young love," Sieghart said, making me grow even hotter.

"You would know?" Ronan said.

"I'm not old!" Sieghart said, growling.

"Then how old are you?" I asked.

It was so silent, I would've been able to hear Kaze'aze's soul trying to sneak in.

He mumbled, but I couldn't hear it.

"Wait, what?" I said. Sieghart mumbled again, then grunted and said, "Oh, that was a two time deal, sorry."

"Well. . ." I said, giving out a small cough, "I'll have to assume you're sixty-years-old then. Either that, or a motor." That's what it sounded like he had said.

"I'm not sixty!" Sieghart exclaimed.

"Then how old are you?!" I demanded. "If you don't tell me, then you're a sixty-year-old man!" Hopefully _that_ got him!

"I forgot!" Sieghart cried out.

"You forgot?!" I yelled in disbelief. How does one forget their own age?! "How the hell do you forget your own age?!"

"I stopped counting!" Sieghart yelled.

"What do you mean you stopped counting?!" It's not that hard to keep track!

Then Sieghart mumbled, a bit louder, though I still couldn't hear.

"I'm am mortal," he said.

"That's not possible," I muttered.

"You're a motor vehicle. . ." Ronan said. Then nudged Lass.

"How the hell are you a motor vehicle?" I asked, not entirely sure what that was in the first place. I mean, that doesn't even relate to your age."

Sieghart began to emit his aura again, but that didn't scare me. However, Lass let out a small "Eep."

I sighed. "Don't mumble this time, or else I'll think you're a motor vehicle again. . ."

"I'm not a damned motor vehicle!" Sieghart screamed. "I'm _immortal_!" He panted a bit, as if he used too much energy to say that.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed. "Immortal?! That's not possible!"

"You heard six, right?" Sieghart asked. "No, I'm not sixty, it's six hundred." I stared at him in disbelief. Apparently mad now, Sieghart stormed off. Jeez, talk about old.

"Oh great," I muttered, before I headed into the forest, forgetting I was going to take a nap with Lass. I heard his snoring under a tree, and Ronan say, "My father-in-law is. . . ancient. . ."

It was only a few minutes when I came back.

"Ronan. . ." I said.

"Uh?" Ronan answered.

"Your fiancée. . ."

"What?!" Ronan exclaimed. "What about Elesis?!"

"She's, uh. . . come see for yourself," I said. I couldn't exactly tell him the, uh, _situation_. I saw Ryan and Lire coming and said, "They can watch Lass."

"Alright, lead on," Ronan said, behind me.

We walked in the same direction I went, and soon came to the tree. I pointed up. I could hardly contain my laughter.

Looking up, Ronan saw Elesis. Hanging upside-down. From the tree.

"Help," she said weakly.

"Elesis?! What are you doing?!" Ronan exclaimed.

"I stepped. . . in a stupid trap. . . and now I'm stuck. . . I think my foot is tied to a rope," Elesis explained.

Ronan took out his spell sword and cut the rope, causing Elesis to fall. Luckily, Ronan caught her.

"Oof, thank you, Ronan!" Looking up, Elesis asked, "Who set that trap?"

"Maybe it was Lass," Ronan muttered.

"If it is, I'm so gonna. . . gonna. . ." Elesis hesitated. "Kick him."

"Elesis," Ronan murmured.

"What is it, Ronan?"

"Nothing. . ." He looked around. "I'm just a bit worried. Let's get back to the others."

"Okay, let me down though, I can walk," Elesis said.

As Ronan set her down, he said, "Uh, Sieghart stormed off."

"What? Why?" Elesis asked.

"Uhm, about his age. . ." I answered. "Because. . ."

"Because. . .?" Elesis echoed.

"Er, let's just get back," I said. Truthfully, I didn't remember.

When we came back, Ryan cried out, "Crap!"

"Ryan?" Lire asked.

"Jin's gone," Ryan said. Oh great.

"Not. . . again. . ." Lire said.

"He left again?!" Elesis exclaimed.

"Amy's still here," Ryan pointed out.

"We should go look for Jin," Lire said.

"He'll be fine. . ." Ronan said. "I have a feeling."

"I have a feeling," Lire said, "that Jin's going to get possessed again."

"Well, I have another feeling contrary to that," Ronan muttered. "You can go look if you want though."

"That moron _did_ get possessed twice," Elesis pointed out. I wanted to slap her right now.

"Why don't you look for him, Lire?" Ronan asked.

"I did, but I couldn't find him," Lire said.

"Do you want to look with me, Elesis?" Ronan asked.

"Sure. . ." Elesis wobbled a bit, probably dizzy from being in the tree for so long.

Wrapping an arm around Elesis, the couple walked off into the forest. Not wanting to follow, and feeling a little tired, I sat down next to Lass and fell asleep.


	44. Chapter 43: River Time

Elesis almost ran into a tree. Luckily, I was there and led her around it.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Just a little dizzy," Elesis answered, laughing a bit.

I stopped suddenly when I saw the riverbank. There were two people sitting near it.

Elesis yelped, almost falling into the river. Immediately, I pulled her back into the shrubbery and tried to listen to what the two were saying.

"It's Sieghart and Jin," I told Elesis.

"Father and Jin. . .?" She asked. I nodded.

"So, that thing about the Highlander Gods saving you and giving you immortality. . . is true?" Jin asked in awe.

"Father's immortal?!" Elesis exclaimed. I shushed her, afraid she might've alerted the two of us. Luckily, they didn't notice.

"Yes, it's true. Six hundred years. . ." Sieghart said.

"Six hundred years ago, huh?" Jin said.

"Yes, about," Sieghart said.

"Then. . . how old am I?" Elesis whispered.

"I'm very sure you're fifteen," I told her.

"Well, I think I might by sixteen by now. . . I think," Elesis said. Well, we _had_ been traveling together for at least almost a year by now.

"Sixteen. Got it." Wait, I'm close to twenty now. Damn, I feel old.

"Who knows, though, I could be like my father. . ." Elesis sounded unsure of herself now.

"Sometimes, I wish that I weren't immortal," Sieghart said, sighing. "Ah, well, nothing I can do about it now."

"I suppose. . ." Jin muttered.

At first, I thought Elesis was leaning forward, trying to hear the two better. Then I realized she was still dizzy and disoriented enough, that she fell into the river. Jin and Sieghart definitely noticed.

"Elesis?!" Sieghart cried out, as well as I.

"Ronan?" Jin looked confused as to why I was here.

Sieghart got to Elesis first, and managed to pull her out of the river. She coughed up some water.

Running over to her, I asked, "Are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah, I t-think so," Elesis said, coughing some more.

"You need to keep a better eye on her," Sieghart scolded. "It's not my job anymore. . . Did you hear. . .?" Yeah, I heard.

"I'm so dizzy," she said. I helped steady her. "You need to get out of these clothes. You'll catch a cold." I took my cloak off and wrapped it around her. I really needed my armor back.

Elesis sneezed, and I helped walk her back to the others.

"I think they overheard us," Jin muttered.

"It's fine," Sieghart said. "She needed the truth anyway."

"Uhm." Elesis looked over at me. "I don't have any spare outfits."

"Er. . . Well, you need to take them off so they can dry," I told her, a bit embarrassed at suggesting that.

"Erm. . . M-Maybe I'll be fine just wearing my clothes until they dry!" Elesis tried to sound optimistic about it, but it didn't really work.

"You might get sick," I told her, worried.

"Well. . . I think I'll go hide somewhere then?" she suggested.

"Uhm, okay. . ." I said, still worried.

"I still don't feel comfortable stripping in the forest though. . ." I heard Elesis mutter as I walked away, feeling a tad nervous. Then I spotted Ryan.

"Oh, Ryan, do you know where my armor is?" I asked him.

"Oh, yeah, across the river," Ryan told me. Great.

"Uhm, I could go and get them, since I'm all wet and all," Elesis said.

"No, that's fine," Ryan said. "I can jump over it as a wolf."

"I might as well, though, I'm going back to the river anyway," Elesis said.

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"I might as well take a bath," she said, a bit softly. I was about to leave when Elesis whispered to me, "Would you like to come with me?"

I could feel myself grow hot from the question. I could tell Elesis was trying not to show her embarrassment at asking me. As she headed towards the river, I followed, hoping no one else would follow.

–

"I hope Sieghart doesn't catch them," I murmured, watching Ronan and Elesis head off, towards the river. I was still getting over the fact that I could see again.

"Hm?" Sieghart poked his head around a tree, surprising me.

"Oh!" I cried out in surprise. "I see you have Jin." Sieghart nodded.

I heard Lire chuckle. Looking over at her, I saw that she was watching Ronan and Elesis leave. Then she settled down under a tree and closed her eyes, falling asleep.

"Mm. . ." I heard Lass say. When I turned to him, I saw he was asleep. Arme turned to look at Lass as well.

"Arme. . ." he said.

"Yes, Lass?" Arme answered.

"I. . . do. . . " Lass seemed to tell her.

"Y-You do. . . what?" Arme looked a bit flustered.

"Mm. . . Honeymoon. . .?" Lass seemed to ask.

"A-Ah, w-what i-is Lass dreaming about. . .?" Arme wondered. I could guess, but. . .

"I really don't want to know," I told her. I mean, Lass may be having a. . . _nice_ dream, one I wouldn't want to know about. And then Lass began to moan in his sleep.

"Lass?" Arme sounded worried.

Lass fell over. Arme nudged him with her foot, but he only turned over. Arme called his name again.

"He must be tired," I said, before grabbing a branch and whacking him with it. "Wake up!"

"Ryan!" Arme cried out. "Don't do that!"

"Well, he's not waking up," I told her, over Lass' loud snoring.

"Just let him sleep," Arme said, then she must've realized how long he had been sleeping for, because she then said, "Lass, wake up before Ryan hurts you, then gets hurt himself." I knew what she meant by that.

Lass just kept sleeping.

"Lass?"

I poked him with my scythe. Lass kept snoring away.

"Lass? Please, wake up," Arme called out, desperately.

"I don't think he's going to wake up," Jin said, from the tree Lass had been in.

"Lass!" Arme cried out. "Please, wake up!" Nothing. Okay, I was really worried. Unless Lass had the ability to sleep through a stampede.

"L-Lass, please. . ." Arme bent down and gave Lass a small kiss. "Wake up. . ." I wondered if she thought she would be able to wake Lass like in those fairy tales?

"Don't be under a spell, please don't be under a spell," Arme whispered, hugging Lass.

"I swear, if you don't wake up soon, Lass, I'm gonna pummel you when you do!" I threatened.

"Ryan!" Arme cried.

"What?" I asked, innocently.

"Don't hurt him!" she said.

"But he'll be able to fight back," I told her.

"What if he can't, because he can't wake up?" I realized then that Arme may have been right, and I looked down at the thought of attacking Lass, when he wouldn't be able to attack back.

"I wish Lass would wake up. . ." Arme's voice nearly cracked.

"He won't," Jin murmured.

"And why is that?" Arme asked.

"Kaze'aze put him in a coma."

"N-No!" Arme cried out. "Dammit, Kaze'aze! I-I'll perform a counter spell, and then. . ." Arme seemed to doubt it would even work.

"It's not a spell," Jin said, grumbling, "he's in a coma. He could wake up tomorrow, he could wake up in a decade. We don't know." He turned over, showing his back to Arme.

"Arme. . . I'm sorry," I told her.

"I-It's okay. . ." she told me.

"So, Lassy too, hm?" I heard Sieghart say.

"What do you mean?" Arme asked, as I said, "'Too'?"

"Nothing," Sieghart said. "I'm going down to the river to have a drink."

"Uhm," Arme said. "Maybe you should wait for Elesis to come back. . ."

Jin jumped down from the tree, and walked beside Sieghart, who said, "We'll be fine." Arme never said anything about anything dangerous. . .

"Hey, didja hear me?!" Arme yelled. "Elesis is in the river right now!"

"She's my daughter. . ." Sieghart murmured, then noticed Jin, who looked nervous.

Arme threw her staff at Jin. "You better not be taking this opportunity to peek, pervert!"

"Uh, ri-ow!" Jin cried, as the staff hit him, and he fell over into the bushes. Sieghart went along, grabbing Jin.

"Uhm. . ." I looked at Arme.

"Hm?" She looked at me, waiting for me to talk.

"Aren't Ronan and Elesis. . ." I whispered to her. I didn't need to finish.

"Oh great," Arme muttered. "I know that Elesis asked Ronan to join her, but. . ."

"Uh-oh," I said. "I think we're gonna hear a lot of noise."

"Should we go and stop them?" Arme asked.

"I gu-" I began, before getting interrupted by shouting. "Too late, run!" I dived into the bushes, followed by Arme.

Sieghart was shouting. Or screaming. Maybe yelling. But he was loud. _Very_ loud! Was he really _that_ mad about, uh, Ronan and Elesis bathing together?

Arme ran right into Sieghart, who had this psycho look. He freaking uprooted a small tree and raised it above his head. Oh, craaaaaap.

Arme let out a small yelp and petrified him. "Are you crazy?!"

"Okay, he's crazy!" I yelled. I pulled Arme away when the tree fell loose from Sieghart's hands. I could hear Ronan shouting in the distance.

"I'm scared for my life," I stated.

Arme waved her staff at Sieghart and said, "I'm gonna try to put him to sleep." It didn't seem like it worked well, but he did yawn.

"Go and find the two," Arme told me. "I'll keep him here."

"Sheesh," I said. "Uhm, Arme, he might want to kill you. But, I guess I'll go find them!" I ran off, happy to be away from the crazy father. I just hoped he didn't go on a rampage and hit Lass.

Then I spotted two figures in the river, and pulled my headband down so I couldn't see the two.

"Ronan, Elesis, your dad - and father in law - is gonna kill Arme!" I yelled.

"Why didn't you guys stop him from coming?!" I heard Elesis yell at me.

"We were going to, but it was too late!" I told her.

"Ronan, wake up!" I peeked out and saw that Ronan was unconscious. I quickly covered my eyes again.

"Grab a piranha or a shark and throw it at him!" I yelled.

"Don't. . . kill me. . ." Ronan groaned.

"There aren't any piranhas!" Elesis told me, then smacked Ronan. "Come on!"

"H-Huh, what?!" Ronan cried out, waking up.

"Get dressed!" Elesis yelled.

"Oh, uh, where's Sieg-" he began, then noticed me. "Ryan?!"

"For the love of. . . I can't see, okay?!" I told him.

"C'mon, before he hurts Arme!" Elesis said.

"What?! Is he mentally okay. . ." Ronan muttered. I peeked out again and saw the two were dressed, though Ronan was trying to put his armor on, hair still soaking. Elesis was trying to get the water out of her hair, muttering, "Gotta find fa-" before she fell into the river with a yelp. Great!

"Help!" I heard in the distance. Oh crap, did Sieghart. . .?!

"Elesis!" Ronan cried out, and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the water.

"Great, I'm all wet again. . ." Elesis muttered.

There was an awkward silence as Ronan and I noticed that. . . uh, that I could faintly see through Elesis' shirt.

"C-C'mon, we need to save Arme!" Ronan cried out nervously.

When Elesis realized what we had. . . seen, she quickly wrapped her cloak around her and ran after me. I was running back to where Sieghart and Arme were.

"W-What's with the trees falling?!" Elesis asked.

"It's Sieghart!" I told her. "I can see a purple flame in there." Damn, were we too late?

"I'll try to stop him!" Ronan yelled, as he ran ahead.


	45. Chapter 44: Riverside Confrontation

I practically ran into my father. "Eh?"

He tried to strike me in retaliation, but got stopped by Jin. Father had a purple aura pouring out of him, while Jin had a glowing, golden aura around him.

"Run!" Jin cried out.

"F-Father, stop!" I yelled, as father struggled against Jin's grip.

"I don't think I can stop anyone who's been around for more than a century. . ." Jin muttered. Then he was flung into a tree. "Whoa!"

"Father!" I cried out, and I ran into my father, headfirst, causing him to fall onto a splintered trunk from a tree he had broken.

"P-Please stop. . ." I begged meekly. Father only squirmed a bit. "I-I'm sorry, are you okay?" I pulled him out of the splinters.

I didn't move when he raised a hand, as if to strike me, but then his eyes widened. "E-Elesis. . ."

"Father, are you okay?" I asked. I was hardly ever scared of my father. As I hugged him, the aura around him died down.

"Ow, ow," he complained. "Don't hug a porcupine."

"S-Sorry," I said, "but are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. . ." father told me. Then asked, "Where's Ronan?"

"I can't tell you," I said.

"Elesis. . ." He looked at me, and I couldn't read his expression.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you!" I cried. "I don't want to see Ronan get hurt, especially not by you, of all people. . ."

Father sighed, understanding, hopefully.

"I'm. . . I'm going to check what happened to the two," I told him, and walked off.

"I tried?" I heard Jin say.

I walked around for a bit, but after awhile, something caught hold of my cloak and tore it. Angrily, I tossed the cloak off and continued my search. Soon enough, I found Ronan and Ryan, unconscious.

Shoving Ryan off, I said, "Wake up, you two."

"Mommy. . ." Ryan whimpered.

"Yeep. . ." Ronan muttered.

"Wake. . . up!" I yelled, and plopped down onto Ronan's chest. He let out a cry of surprise.

"Up!" I demanded.

"Alright, okay!" Ronan cried out.

"By the way, can I borrow your cloak?" I asked, getting up. "Mine ripped."

"Oka-" Ronan began. He had looked over at me while he was talking, and then fell backwards suddenly. Was that blood I saw?

"Ronan? What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"Uh, n-n-nothing!" Ronan stammered.

"Why is your nose bleeding? Did you get hit?" I hoped he hadn't hit his nose too badly.

"Uh, yeah!" Ronan looked nervous, and then I noticed he was kind of looking at my chest, so I looked down. My shirt was wet, and it was a bit. . . see-through.

Blushing madly, I said to Ronan, "R-Ronan, g-give me your cloak!" This was embarrassing!

"Agh!" Ronan cried out, as he pulled his cloak off and gave it to me as he held his nose.

"I can't wait for my clothes to get dry again. . ." I muttered, as I wrapped his cloak around me like a towel. "Say, did you get your armor?"

"Yes," Ronan said. Then I noticed his armor. I guess I was a bit slow.

"I'm afraid of what father might do to you. . ." I murmured to him, "since he saw us in the river. . ." Ronan's response was a red face, so I hugged Ronan and said, "I did enjoy your company, though." I felt his hands against my back as he held me closer to him.

"Whoa. . ." I heard Ryan say, a bit slurred. He looked dizzy.

"Ryan? You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. . . I tripped over something," he answered.

"What did you trip over?" I asked.

"It was hard," Ryan told me. "It went 'clang'. Like armor." Ryan squinted his eyes at Ronan, who looked away nervously.

"Maybe it was a rock," Ryan muttered, then he walked in the direction Lass and the others were, so Ronan and I just followed him.

"Lire? Where are you?" Ryan called. Then he saw that Lire was asleep against a tree. "Oh, she's alright." He sounded relieved.

"Where's Arme?" I asked. "And is Jin back?"

"I think Sieghart's with Jin," Ronan told me. "It seems they like each other. I mean, you know."

"Yeah, I know what I mean. I'd kill Jin if he tried anything funny though," I muttered.

"I don't see Arme, or Lass," Ronan mused.

"Oh, great, where'd they run off to. . ." I looked around.

I didn't see Arme or Lass, but I saw father and Jin. In fact, Jin was picking splinters out of father's back. I could tell Jin was trying not to look bored. Walking over to the two, I began to help pick out splinters. The two of us weren't looking at each other.

"What's wrong with you two?!" father asked. I noticed Ronan walking by us, quietly.

"Nothing," I simply stated, as I tried to keep the cloak from falling off.

"Well, you better get along because Jin is working under my orders," Sieghart said.

"What?!" I cried out in dismay.

"You heard me, he's here to stay." Father's tone told me that that was that. "As an older member of the Silver Knights, I have authority over Jin."

_You mean immortal_, I thought.

"But, I'm not a member of the Silver Knights, so, uh, why should I have to work with Jin?" I asked.

"We're all a part of Grand Chase, are we not?" Father glanced at me.

"Yes, but. . . He's like, the latest one to join!" I was just looking for an excuse now, because I still despised Jin for what he did.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jin snapped.

"Nothing," I said.

"Get. Along. The boys have already done that," father said.

"Hmph," I said, and turned away from Jin. I heard him sigh. In my anger, I pulled one of the splinters a bit too hard and fell backwards. I let out a slight cry.

"Elesis?!" father cried out in surprise. Jin caught me by my wrist.

"I'm fine!" I shouted, pulling my arm away from Jin sharply. "Don't touch me, dammit!"

Jin's gaze wavered on me for a bit before he turned away. "Your. . ."

"What?" I asked.

"Cloak. . ." he finished. Immediately, I grabbed the fallen cloak and pulled it back on, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Stop fooling around back there!" father yelled out. "Half my back still feels like I laid on a porcupine!"

I went back to pulling more out, wishing my clothes would hurry up and dry already. Jin began to pull splinters out as well.

"Can I just go walk somewhere?" I asked, after awhile. I didn't want to pick those splinters out any longer.

"That's fine," father said, then, "Jin?"

"It's fine," he said. Like I needed Jin's permission to go anywhere?

I decided to ask Ronan for some company.

"Kinda feel sad for Jin," Ryan said, "having to do that." He was sitting next to the sleeping Lire. She mumbled in her sleep. Ryan snuggled up closer to her.

"Ryan. . ." Lire said in her sleep, and moved closer to him.

"Hm. . ." Ryan closed his eyes.

"You're so comfy. . ." Lire said between her snoring. Ryan sat beside her, looking a bit tired, but not enough to fall asleep.

I couldn't find Ronan, so I just went to the river.

--

"Arme?" Ronan called out, as he kicked Lass.

"Ronan?" Arme called back.

"Oh, there you are! Lass won't wake up," Ronan said.

"Y-Yeah, I know. . ." Arme said sadly.

"Hm, what do you mean?" Ronan asked.

"Jin said he was in a coma. . ." Arme answered just as father cried out, "G-ow!" "Stop fidgeting, I'm almost done," Jin told him.

Ignoring the two, Ronan said, "What?! The Kaze'aze, no doubt. . . She's ruined our lives too much already. . ."

"I-I know. . ." Arme sat down next to Lass as Ronan stopped kicking him.

Lass turned over and seemed to mutter something in his sleep.

Arme looked at Lass. "Lass?"

"Get away. . . No. . . I don't want to. . ."

"Another nightmare. . ." Arme sighed.

"Arme, no. . ." Lass cried out weakly. "Can't move. . . No. . . away from her. . ." I could see Arme trying to hide her fear.

"Lass, snap out of it!" Ronan yelled.

"Please, wake up. . ." Arme began to cry a little, and held her head.

"Stop. . .!" Lass yelled, and he began to cry in his sleep.

"Please, wake up Lass!" Arme fell to her side, crying.

"What's happening?" Sieghart asked, rubbing his back. "The pest is having a nightmare. . .? In a coma? That's not right. . ." He rubbed his temples a bit.

"What do you mean?" Ronan asked.

"In a coma, there's a lack of brain acti-" Sieghart began, before getting interrupted by a cry from Lass. "Activity."

"P-Please, Lass!" Arme cried out.

"There is only enough for breathing and such. . . he can't be dreaming," Sieghart explained.

Apparently not listening, Arme hugged Lass, tightly, who began to squirm in her grasp.

"Are you listening?!" father snapped.

"I heard every word you said. . ." Arme answered sadly.

"Yes, yes, we're listening! Get to the point," Ronan said, a bit irritated.

"Either that's not a coma," Sieghart said, "or Kaze'aze's sending these nightmares to Lass from somewhere."

"Can you tell where it originated from?" Ronan asked.

"Uhm, Ronan. . ." Arme said.

"Huh?" Ronan looked at her.

"Elesis, she's uhm. . ." Arme hesitated.\ Ronan looked confused.

"She. . . she. . ." Ronan stammered, looking pale.

Arme nodded and looked over at Sieghart, who seemed to be wondering about Ronan's lack of color.

"Excuse me. . ." Ronan turned away and headed towards the river. He was followed by Arme and Sieghart.

"I hope we can free Lass," I said.

--

I was soon at the river, distraught at the news Arme delivered to me. Why. . .?

"Ronan, are you okay?" Arme asked me. I saw Elesis sitting by the river's edge farther down. Her feet where in the water.

"The same thing's going to happen again, isn't it. . .?" I asked softly, hoping Elesis didn't hear.

"Y-Yeah. . ." Arme looked down.

"Sometimes. . . I just wish that I never met her. . . in a good way. . ." I whispered.

"R-Ronan. . . What are you saying?"

"Well. . . I understand that I'm a bit troublesome. . . for Elesis. . ."

"You know that she doesn't mind."

I looked down before continuing. "If we never met, she might not have gotten cursed. . ."

"But, she might have been cursed in some way," Arme tried to explain to me, "as she is a part of Grand Chase. . ."

"But not the way she is now. . ." I told her. "It's my fault. . ."

"But if you never met her, she might possibly be dead by now. . ."

"But. . . She could've found someone else, someone more deserving. . ."

"I don't think so," Arme said sharply. "You're the only person I've ever seen her really care for in the way she does so now! Before you joined, there were others I saw that flirted with her, but she basically treated them like all the others. When you came along, well. . . you know." Yes, I know.

I didn't answer Arme. My eyes drifted to the river, and I placed a hand on my chest, next to my heart, and sighed.

"She'll never want to be with anyone else, Ronan. Trust me on that," Arme told me.

"Yeah, I-" I began, but then I heard someone approach. Sieghart.

He was frowning, and crossed his arms.

"Sieghart, did you want something?" Arme asked cooly.

"You two are hiding something," Sieghart said. "What?"

"We aren't hiding anything," Arme answered.

"What are you not telling me?" Sieghart demanded. I was silent, and Arme mumbled.

"Speak up!" Sieghart yelled.

"I said it!" Arme snapped, then muttered, "Like you did some time ago."

Sieghart cracked his knuckles, and I began to look nervous. Suddenly, he grabbed me and dangled me over the river.

"Speak up, or I'll call the sharks!" Sieghart said.

"Why me?!" I choked out.

"R-Ronan?!" I heard Elesis cry out. Crap. "Father! What are you doing?!"

"There are no sharks in the river," Arme said, though she didn't look like she believed it.

"Oh, really?" Sieghart took out his sword and cut me a bit, but not too badly. It was enough, though, for some blood to drip into the river.

"Ow!" I cried out.

"Well, I'm not too sure of it myself!" Arme cried out.

"El-Elesis. . ." I began, before Sieghart dropped me into the river. The waves crashed over my head.

The light above me flickered above as two figures landed into the water themselves. Elesis? But. . . she can't swim! Then the water seemed to grow still, and more cooler. Then, there was another figure above, who grabbed one of the figures. They were close enough to grab me, and soon I was dragged out of the river.

As my head broke the surface of the water, I gasped for air, and Arme's name.

"Yes?" I saw Arme sitting on a floating slab of ice. She had frozen most of the river. To prevent us from being pulled away from the river's current?

Then I felt someone grab my cloak, and soon I was lifted off my feet. Not again! The river was, once again, under my feet.

"This water must be freezing," Sieghart said. "Tell me and I'll spare him of hypothermia!"

"D-Don't!" Elesis cried out. "I-If you do, I'll just go throw myself into the river again!"

"No, Elesis, you can't!" I tried to yell, as I tried to grab my tyrfing.

"O-Of course I can. . ." Elesis said. "I don't want to lose you, not even to father!"

"But. . .!" I started.

"Tell me, damn it!" Sieghart yelled, interrupting me.

"I-I don't care, really, if something happens to me," Elesis continued. "I just can't stand to see you hurt, or even worse, dead. . ."

I started to stutter, and Sieghart began to lower me closer to the river's surface.

"Arme, just tell him!" I choked out, trying to pry his hands off me.

"Don't, father, or I'll jump in after him. . ." Elesis murmured.

"Do you really want to?" Arme asked.

"Sieghart's not gonna spare me!" I told her.

"Sieghart, Elesis is. . ." Arme began, but Elesis cut her off, and tackled Sieghart, yelling, "Don't do it!"

Sieghart stumbled back, and I could feel the icy cold water touch my shoes. Even through them, I could feel the chill. "Cold!" I squeaked. I could see Arme attempt to melt all the ice.

"Arme!" Sieghart yelled. "Tell me!"

"Just do it!" I yelled with.

"Are you holding Ronan hostage because Arme won't tell you something about me?!" Elesis shouted, sounding a bit mad now. "If that's the case, then I'll tell you myself! I'm pregnant! Now let Ronan go!"

"What?!" Sieghart exclaimed. I thought that I was about to die soon.

"And if you harm Ronan, then I can never forgive you, ever," Elesis said, softly.

"Sieghart, I-" I began, before Sieghart threw me to the ground, and walked upstream. "Gah!"

Elesis came over and hugged me tightly, and I asked her, "Why didn't you tell him about the curse. . .?"

"Then he would have blamed you for it," she told me.

"Still. . ." I looked at the fading purple fire in the distance. "He must be furious. . ."

"Then let him be." Elesis scoffed. "I'm going to be married to you anyway, what difference does it make anymore?" I simply looked down at Elesis and hugged her, tightly.

"I hope we get rid of the curse soon," she whispered to me.

"I do too," I whispered to her, then kissed her forehead softly. "I love you. . ."

"I love you too," Elesis whispered back to me, leaning against me.

"Guys, where did Sieghart go?" Arme asked, ruining the moment.

"He went upstream. . . mad," Elesis answered.

"Figures," Arme muttered.

And then someone screamed.


	46. Chapter 45: Bargaining

**Author's Note**: Long chapter, I typed most of this at school, where it didn't show how many pages I had, so. . . yeah. Longest chapter yet!

--

"I take it that's him," I said.

"Erm, maybe," Elesis said.

"It sounded more like someone younger, though," Ronan murmured.

Soon there was a shout.

"Well, I'm going to go investigate," I said, and ran off. I could hear the other two following me. Then I saw Ryan. He was clutching his side, hands covered in blood, which alarmed me.

"Ryan?! What happened?!" I asked.

"It was Lass. . ." Ryan gasped. "He suddenly went berserk. . . in his sleep. . .He picked up a knife and stabbed me. . . I didn't know what happened. . . he's in a nightmare. . . Arme, he. . ." Ryan couldn't go any further, and collapsed. He didn't need to explain.

"Dammit," I muttered, and tried to heal Ryan up a bit, but then I ran off.

Soon, I came into the clearing, where I saw Lass, throwing a few of his kunai, some striking Lire.

"Ow, Lass, please wake up!" Lire shouted.

"Lass!" I cried out. This. . . It was like when we had first fought him, under Kaze'aze's control, back in her castle.

Lass drew his scimitar and began to slash whatever he could; Lire barely dodged it.

"Eek!" Lire yelped. "Arme, help!" I saw Jin just lying on the ground, a huge gash on his back.

"Damn!" I grabbed my War Staff and threw a ball of ice at Lass, successfully freezing him, then ran over to Jin. "Are you okay, Jin?!"

"Ugh. . ." Jin tried to stand up. "I'm f-fine. . ."

"Don't stand up, moron!" I snapped.

"I. . ." he began, before collapsing. Frustrated, I wrapped a few bandages around his wound, then went over to Lass. He wasn't moving, but the scimitar was sticking out of the ice. Carefully, I pulled it out, but it broke the ice in the process.

"O-Oh crap," I said, and raised my staff up in readiness.

Lass broke out of the ice, and the first thing he did was lunge towards my neck. I quickly stepped back. He stumbled forward, but then suddenly tripped. Jin had grabbed his ankle, and I grabbed his hands. Lass was still asleep. . .

"What are you doing?" Jin asked.

"L-Lass?" I looked at Lass' face.

"N. . . No. . ." he whimpered.

"Lass, please, wake up," I begged, for perhaps the hundredth time.

"Don't. . . hurt me. . ."

"I won't. . ."

"Please. . . don't. . ." Lass seemed to struggle for words.

"D-Don't what?" I asked.

"Urr. . . urgh. . ." Lass tried to push away from me, and I let go. "Lass?" He fell to the ground, and began squirming.

"He's disturbed. . ." Jin muttered.

"Lass. . ." I wanted Lass to wake up!

Leaning against a tree, holding his side, Jin uttered grimly, "He'll die in a week if he doesn't wake up."

"H-How do you know?" I asked him.

"He hasn't eaten. . ."

"Y-You're right. . ." Like the pathetic mage I am, I began to cry. "P-Please, Lass, j-just wake up a-already. . ." This was going to kill me. . .

"He might die sooner from insanity," Jin said softly.

"W-Why can't K-Kaze'aze just d-die already?!" I cried out, the tears streaming down my face.

"If only she could. . ." Jin muttered.

Then Sieghart arrived. He grabbed Lass' hair and began to head back to where he came. "Jin," he called.

"Please don't hurt him, Sieghart!" I cried out. I didn't want Lass hurt anymore!

"Don't worry Arme," Jin murmured to me, "he's going to try to bargain with the Kaze'aze. . ."

"Bargain?" I looked at him in confusion.

"Yes. . . through me. . ." Jin muttered.

"Jin!" Sieghart called impatiently. Jin followed with a slight limp.

"Jin. . . I hope you go through this unharmed," I told him. As Sieghart dragged Lass along, Jin looked at me with a solemn face, then tried to keep pace. I decided to follow, just to watch Lass.

"J-Jin, is it possible to be able to do this through me?" I whispered.

"Possibly," he told me, "but the Kaze'aze favors me above all of you, and Sieghart can't harm a girl who's not the Kaze'aze."

"Good point. . ." I murmured. "I didn't want you to get possessed again. . ." Jin didn't say anything. He just kept walking, with that limp.

"Do you need a splint, Jin?" I offered.

"N-No, I'm fine. It'd just get broken anyway. . ."

We were silent for a time, as we entered what seemed to be an unholy place. The trees were drooping, the leaves black. The ground had no grass growing, and every shadow cast looked sinister. There were small, dark bushes that looked as if they held an unseen enemy, just waiting to pounce. I shivered.

"What is this place?" I asked. I wasn't given an answer.

Soon, Sieghart tossed Lass to the side, near a stone wall, and walked into a dead end, followed by the silent Jin. I stayed a bit away, but kept close.

"Kaze'aze. . ." Sieghart muttered, then cut his hand, letting the blood drip to the ground. I held up my staff, nervous. I didn't like this place, not one bit.

Sieghart stared at the blood dripping from his hand for a bit, before he tightened it into a fist, the blood pouring out a bit more. Jin was shaking his head, then he started to hold it. I was watching, growing more and more nervous with each passing second.

Then Jin fell over.

"J-Jin?" I was about to approach when Sieghart said, "Stay back, Arme." I backed away quickly.

The wound on Jin's back was opened up again, but when his eyes opened, they revealed that he was possessed. . . I hoped that Jin would be alright. . .

"Kaze'aze. . ." Sieghart murmured.

"S-Sieghart. . ." Jin said weakly. "You summon me?" What was this, a wizard and his familiar?

"Indeed," Sieghart answered, crossing his arms. "I have received word that you have laid a trance on this child here more than once."

"Who. . .?" Jin seemed confused. "Oh, him. . . Why is my vessel dying?!" Jin sounded surprised. Jin was _not_ a vessel!

"Your 'vessel' acquired a wound from this child, here," Sieghart said, then picked Lass up by the hair. I wished he was more careful with Lass!

"Troublesome, he might be, but the curse is there to stay," Jin said, with a slight sneer.

"Oh, really?" Sieghart drew his sword, imbuing it with his aura.

"Wait, no!" Jin cried out. "You wouldn't dare kill me now, would you, dear Sieghart?" Jin began to back away nervously. Sieghart raised his arm to strike.

"No!" Jin cowered. "I'll do it! Don't kill me!"

"Kaze'aze. . ." I dared to speak. "Are you really a coward. . .?"

"Foolish brat!" Jin hissed. "I fear no one! Except. . ."

"Except. . . Sieghart?" I finished.

Jin growled. "F-Fine. . . I'll. . . do it. . ."

And then I remembered. "S-Sieghart, I need to tell you something."

"Not now, Arme," Sieghart said.

"It's important. . ."

"Not now."

"Please, it relates to Elesis."

Jin began to chant a spell, quickly.

"Hm, what is it?" I had Sieghart's attention now.

"She has a curse. . ." I told him. "Well, I would say it's between her and Ronan. . ." Hopefully he understood. And he did.

I heard Lass make a small sound as Sieghart's sword flew past Jin's head.

"Wh-What is this?!" Jin cried out.

"You swine!" Sieghart growled. He walked towards Jin and picked him up by the head. "You did it to get to me, didn't you?!"

"You never knew until now!" Jin sounded pleased with himself. "I would have made it obvious that she was cursed. . . knowing you, you'd overlook that, too. . ." A creepy grin was beginning to form on his face.

"Why?!" Sieghart demanded. His eyes. . . they seemed to have changed color, and I couldn't even see them.

"It has nothing to do with you," Jin stated coolly. "It was directed at the Royal Guard Master. . . Erudon." I could tell that Sieghart was trying not to crush Jin's skull. . .

"What's happening. . .?" Lass asked. At least, I think he did.

"St-Stop. . ." Jin said, in pain.

"Sieghart, don't kill him," I said. "After all, it's not Kaze'aze's body. . ."

"Where am. . . Sieghart. . .?" It really _was_ Lass! "Jin. . .? Arme. . .?"

"Lass, don't do anything to intervene, please, unless it's to save someone's life," I told Lass.

"Lift the curse!" Sieghart yelled.

"But-" Jin began.

"Lift it!"

"Then. . . you have to take your end of the bargain," Jin said meekly. "Your immortality, for your daughter's unpoisoned eggs. . ."

"Wh-What. . .? What's going on. . ." Lass asked groggily.

"Sieghart. . . is bargaining with Ka-" I began, as I heard a scream in the distance. Who was that?

Sieghart looked away, then back at Jin. "No! Give me another option!" He began to squeeze Jin's head tighter.

"Ahaha!" Jin started squirming. "That won't do, ow!"

"What was that scream. . .?" Lass asked, trying to get up. He was too weak to stand, though.

"Another!" Sieghart demanded.

"Stop, gh, his skull is cracking, he's losing too much blood," Jin squeaked. "F-Fine! I'll give you one last offer!" He began to wheeze a bit. Even though it was helping Kaze'aze herself, I kept Lass healed, hoping he wouldn't die.

Jin grabbed Sieghart's blade, which was close by, and pointed it at Jin's chest. No. . .

"Do it. . ." Jin whispered. "I can always get another vessel. . ."

"N-No. . ." I said in vain.

"Do it!" Jin's demented laughter turned into a choke, followed by a splurt. Sieghart's sword spiked out from Jin's lower back. Sieghart. . . he really did it. . .

"J-Jin!" I cried out.

"So. . . you really. . . did. . . it. . ." Jin coughed. "The curse is. . . lifted. . ." Jin collapsed to the ground, shouting in pain, as both Kaze'aze's spirit and his blood flowed out.

I ran over to Jin. "J-Jin, a-are you okay? Speak to me!" I was answered by screams of pain.

Sieghart turned and walked away, in a different direction from where we had come from.

"Get the sword out of him!" Lass called from the distance, so I did, as carefully as I could.

Blood was seeping from his mouth, and Jin's body arced in pure agony. I kept trying to heal him, to keep him from dying. Jin kept crying out, and he turned onto his side, holding the wound Sieghart gave him. His pupils had shrunk, his body convulsing. I was afraid he would die. . .

"I can't take it. . ." Jin said, in between his cries of pain. "It hurts. . . Ggh. . ."

I placed my hand gently on Jin's forehead. "I-It's alright, it's alright," I cooed, sounding as if I were a mother, trying to comfort a hurt child. "Just try not to move too much."

Tears were seeping out from the corners of Jin's eyes, mixing with the blood, and stained his skin. His eyes started closing.

"No, Jin, don't die!" I cried out.

"I'm sorry, it. . . hurts so much. . ." he croaked.

I kept trying to close his wounds. "I can't let you die!"

"I. . . urgh. . ." Jin's right eye was closed, and his left was half-closed, the light dimming.

"Please, no. . . please no. . ." I kept trying, with all my might, to keep this mighty warrior alive. He couldn't die now!

"It wasn't. . . me. . ." Jin whispered, as his eyes fully closed, and his breathing grew slower.

"I know. . ." I told him. "I wish I can keep you alive. . ." It made sense to me now. Maybe I hadn't seen it before, or didn't want to, but I knew. It wasn't Jin's fault, that long time ago, when it started with Elesis and Ronan, Lire and Ryan. . . Our splitting. . . The unplanned pregnancy, the pain, the suffering, the tears. . . It was never Jin's fault, it was. . . Kaze'aze. Why did I refuse to see that? Was it because Jin had admitted it himself? Or maybe it was the witch's words.

"N-No!" Lass' cries snapped me out of my thoughts. "He's not going to die unless he loses anymore blood! Sieghart intentionally missed his vital organs. . ."

Lass was right, from the looks of it. The bleeding had stopped, but. . .

"I don't know. . . if he'll live. . ." I whispered.

Jin was silent, a look of frozen agony spread across his face. . . I wished I could help him, better than I did. I began to cry.

I felt Lass' embrace from behind, and his words in my ears as he whispered, "D-Don't worry, h-he might not be dead. . ."

"I-I think h-he will. . ." I whispered to him. I had given up almost all hope now. I had failed as the team's healer.

"W-We need help. . ." Lass said, then he looked around, and began shouting for help. Meanwhile, I kept trying, with the faintest hope Jin was still with us.

"J-Jin, a-are you still alive?" I asked, after awhile.

There was no response.

"Jin. . . Jin! Say something!" Lass yelled.

"N-No, Jin! Jin!" I cried out. No, he was dead. . .

"Jin!" Lass began to shake him, hopelessly.

"H-He's. . . dead. . ." I fell over, crying. "A-And I cou-couldn't sa-save him!"

"Ryan?! Ronan?! Anyone?! Anyone!" Lass shouted. He picked me up, holding me close, in his strong embrace, and began to look around, desperately.

"T-There's n-nothing we-we can do. . . any-anymore. . ." I told him through my tears.

"No, he can't be dead. . ." Lass whispered, still clinging to a shred of hope. "He can't. . ."

"H-He's not. . . moving. . ." I told him.

Setting me down, Lass reached out and touched Jin's neck, hoping for a pulse. "Please be alive," he begged. Come on. . ."

"L-Lass," I said, shakily. "Please, try and be careful. . . I-I'm going to try a-and find the o-others. . ."

"W-Wait, maybe you can shock him?" Lass suggested.

"H-How can t-that help. . ." I said. "H-He didn't h-have a heart a-attack or anything. . ."

"He can't be dead," Lass choked out, and fell over Jin's body. "Why. . ."

I. . . I had to try.

"L-Lass, move," I said.

"W-What?" Lass moved away from Jin. I shocked Jin with a small bolt of electricity. He shook a bit.

"J-Jin?" I called out.

I saw Jin's eyelids quiver, with only the slightest movement, as his lips moved slightly to form words. "i don't. . . want to die. . ." Yes. . . Yes! Jin was still alive! But. . . for how long?

"I-I don't want you to die either. . ." I told him.

"Can you feel anything?" Lass asked.

"I don't know. . ." he told him.

Lass placed a hand on Jin's arm. "Can you feel my hand on your arm?"

"I th-think. . ." Jin groaned.

"H-How do you f-feel?" I asked, suddenly feeling ridiculous.

"Ill. . ." he told me.

"D-Do we h-have any medicine?" I asked. Jin tried to move his arm to point to one of the pockets in his pants, weakly fingering it. Lass reached in and pulled out something. I couldn't see what it was but it had an unpleasant smell. "Hey! Why do you have this?!" Lass exclaimed.

"Wrong pocket. . ." Jin groaned.

"What is that?" I asked. Lass simply threw it away. Hemlock. What was Jin doing with that?! Lass dug into another pocket and pulled out a potion. It was the color of liquid fire.

"Give me. . . it. . ." Jin said weakly.

"I-uh," Lass hesitated, then lifted Jin's head up a bit and poured the potion into his mouth. Some of it oozed out of his mouth, mixing with Jin's blood.

"What is that. . .?" I asked.

"H-Huh. . .?" Jin said.

"What is that potion?" I asked again.

"S-Sieghart gave it to me. . ." Jin answered weakly.

"Sieghart. . ." I whispered. "Where did he go anyway?"

"I don't know. . ." Lass told me.

"Gah. . ." Jin passed out.

"Jin?!" both Lass and I cried out. Jin moved a bit, but was unconscious. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"I-It looks like he's still alive. . . at least. . ." I said. I was so glad Jin was alive.

"Thank goodness," Lass said, relieved as well.

"D-Do you think we should try a-and bring him back?" I asked.

"Maybe. . ." Lass answered.

I began to try to lift Jin up, and Lass helped as well.

"M-Maybe w-we should go and find the others. . ." I said.

Before Lass could respond, Ronan burst out of nowhere and shouted, "Arme! Why are you in this unholy land?! Elesis, she. . . Jin?!"

"S-Sieghart. . . J-Jin. . . Kaze'aze. . ." I tried to explain.

"This isn't the time for that now!" Ronan said, cutting me off, then noticed Lass. "L-Lass, you're awake?!"

"Yes! I am!" Lass yelled impatiently. "Help me lift Jin! I can't right now!"

"A-And I'm too weak to," I said, groaning a bit. I was not designed to lift people such as Jin.

"Alright, but Arme, you must get to Elesis!" Ronan cried out. He looked. . . upset. . .

"What happened to her?!" I asked.

Ronan looked too sick to say anything, so he simply took Jin.

"I-Is something. . . something wrong?" I tried asking again.

"I think it's the baby," Ronan managed to say. "But it's too soon! The other times. . . it came later, but. . ." I understood what he meant. Looking at the ground, Ronan finished, "I'll get Jin to Lire and the others."

I was surprised though. "B-But Sieghart, he. . . she. . ." Oh, forget it. "I'll go tend to Elesis!" I ran off, leaving the two boys to Jin. I hoped I wasn't too late.

"Where. . . Where is she. . ." I said to myself, looking around.

Catching up to me, Ronan said, "Sh-She's near the river. . ." So, I ran to the river. Would I make it in time? Or would I be too late?

--

"How's Jin?" I asked, coming over to the boys with some bandages.

"I'm not sure. . ." Ronan said. "He has a horrible wound."

"If it gets infected, here's some medicine to apply to it," I said, giving Ronan some medicine I had bought some time before.

"Lire. . . Did you see Elesis? Is she okay?" Ronan asked me. I didn't want to tell him the truth, but. . .

"I saw her," I said, "but. . . she. . . She impaled herself on her own sword. . ."

Ronan looked down, clearly upset, but trying to hide it. "I. . . se. . ."

"I-I couldn't believe it. . . It seemed as if something made her fall on it. . ." I told him.

"Kaze'aze. . ." Ronan muttered, balling his fists up. "Lass! Wh-What happened to Jin? Tell us!"

"W-What?" Lass asked, rubbing his head.

"What happened to Jin?" I asked.

"Sieghart. . ." Lass hesitated. "He forced the Kaze'aze. . . to get rid of my curse. . . and she did, I don't know how. She was bargaining with Sieghart through Jin, but. . . Arme told him about Elesis' curse.

"Sieghart got furious and. . . was about to kill Jin," Lass continued. "That's when Kaze'aze told him three deals. Or was it two? Well, the first one was. . . Sieghart's immortality for Elesis' curse to be lifted. Sieghart declined, and demanded another one. That's when she tempted him to stab Jin to kill him.

"And Sieghart did it," Lass finished.

"S-So that's how Jin almost died. . ." I said softly. Lass fell to the ground, looking tired.

"You should go to sleep, Lass," I said to him, realizing my mistake.

"Er," Ronan said. "What she means is, you need to regain your strength."

"And you look so tired, Lass," I added.

"No, I can't!" Lass cried, holding his head. "I don't want to! I won't!"

"Lass. . ." I began.

He turned to his side and leaned against a tree. "I can't take it. . ."

"I-It's because of those nightmares, isn't it. . ." I whispered.

"Those nightmares were so painful," Lass whispered. He closed his eyes and cried. "I can't take them anymore. . . not one more. . ."

I nodded slightly, in understanding, then asked, "Where's Arme?"

"I think she went to tend to Elesis," Ronan said.

"I-I hope she's. . . I hope she's alright," I said.

"Ronan. . ." Lass said, having apparently recovered. "The Kaze'aze said. . . that she lifted teh curse. . ."

"Wh-Wh-What?" Ronan was dumbfounded.

"T-That's great!" I cried out, then I realized something. "But. . . I think. . ."

Lass looked at me, urging me to continue.

"N-No, I c-can't think about that. . ." I lowered my head.

"Wh-What is it, Lire?" Ronan asked. I only whispered it.

"Lire, please!" Ronan pleaded.

"I think," I said a bit louder, "the lifting of the curse is. . . too late. . ."

"What do you mean?" Lass asked.

"Elesis. . ." I told them this already, but I left out one thing, "fell on her sword, and it impaled her abdomen. . ."

"What?!" Lass cried out. "T-The baby. . ." I nodded slightly. Ronan turned away.

Jin began to groan.

"Jin?" I looked over at him. He shifted slightly.

"A-Are you okay?" I asked, nudging him slightly.

Jin opened his eyes and looked at us, wearily.

"Jin?" I called again.

"I'm fine. . . Just really tired. . ." he said weakly.

"Go back to sleep then, and regain your strength," I told him.

"Yeah. . . okay. . ." Jin seemed a bit happy to be able to go back to sleep.

"Do you guys think we should check on Arme and Elesis?" I asked, turning to Ronan and Lass.

"Yeah," Lass said.

"I guess I'll go check," i said, getting up.

"D-Do you think Arme will let me come and see Elesis?" Ronan asked.

"Maybe," I told him.

"I'll stay with Jin," Lass offered, looking a bit tired.

"C'mon, Ronan," I said, as I headed to the river. Ronan followed closely.

"Where are they. . ." I murmured to myself and looked around. Then I saw a pool of blood, with a smller, thinner trail that lead to the thicker, wooded area. Ronan saw it as well, and walked ahead of me, without a word.

"R-Ronan?" I called out. He just kept walking, squeezing between the trees and kept following the trail. I quickly followed.

Soon we walked into a clearing, where two all-too-familar figures were.

"E-Elesis. . .?" Ronan called. "Arme?"

"R-Ronan!" Arme cried out, surprised. She had a bit of blood on her.

"Is there something wrong?" Ronan asked, stopping.

"Oh, nothing's wrong, really," Arme said. Her voice sent a chill down my spine for some reason. "We were waiting for you.

"Oh." Ronan began to approach tentatively. "Is something wrong?

"As I said, no. However, Elesis needs to say something to you," Arme told him.

"Ronan slowly walked to the two, and looked over at Elesis.

"Hello, Ronan." Elesis' voice sent the same chill down me. What was going on? She was covered in blood as well, but not so much, like Arme.

"Elesis, what is it?" Ronan asked.

"Ronan, I have to tell you this, and I know you may hate me for it, but oh well." Was it me, or was there a slight, cheery tone to her voice?

"Elesis, what is it?" Ronan seemed nervous now, almost. . . afraid?

"Ronan, we can't be together. I think it'd be better if we were apart, never to see each other again."


	47. Chapter 46: Double

What?

Elesis' words were still sinking in, as Arme said, "Crap, is that Sieghart?" Why is it that my loved one's words have almost no effect on me? Why? She just told me that we should never see each other again, and yet. . .

"Sieghart? He's not really here, is he?" Elesis asked. There was a thump, followed by a groan.

"Hmph, what is he up to?" Arme asked in an annoyed tone.

Sieghart's sword poked out of the tall shrubs, and he fell next to Arme. "Ow. . ." he groaned, porcupine spines in his butt.

"What the. . ." Arme muttered.

"What is he. . ." Elesis began. "Sieghart, what are you doing?" . . . Sieghart? Since when did. . .?

""Huh, Elesis? Is that you?" Sieghart said, getting up.

"Yes, Sieghart dear, it's me." Elesis' words. . . sounded so. . . fake? "I was just telling Ronan something important."

"Since when did you call me 'Sieghart'?" he asked, wary.

"What exactly do you mean, Se-father dearest?" Close, but not right. Okay, what was going on?

"Ronan, what are you still doing here?" Arme turned to me.

"Wha-What?" I said with a start.

"Elesis said she thinks it'd be better if you two never see each other again. Now, why don't you do as she wishes?" Arme seemed impatient. . . for what?

"S-Sorry, I-" I began, not actually sorry at all.

"Hold on," Sieghart said, and grabbed my hair as he turned around. Ow! "Something doesn't smell right."

"Hmph, nothing is wrong, it must be you," Arme said, almost. . . snootily?

"Excuse me," Sieghart said, with almost the same tone, "but I'm the father and father-in-law. If there were to be something with me, you'd better be careful."

All I said was "What?"

"What exactly do you mean?" Arme asked.

"Well, for one, my daughter always called me 'Daddy' or 'Father'," Sieghart said, with a cough. "Two; Elesis, do you have your ring on you?"

"Erm." Elesis took the ring off her finger and held it out in front of her. "You mean this one?"

Not answering, Sieghart grabbed it, then Elesis' hand and began to drag her away.

"Huh?" I said, dumbfounded.

"Follow me, and you will either die, or get hurt," Sieghart said cooly.

"H-Huh?!" Elesis cried out. "W-Wait, what are you doing?!"

"Hey, unhand her, Sieghart!" Arme yelled. "Are you planning to hurt your own daughter?!"

"Buzz off!" Sieghart yelled, then jumped over the river.

"H-Hey, let me go!" Elesis yelled nervously. "Where the hell are you taking me?!"

"And who the hell do you think you are?" Sieghart asked.

"Wh-I'm your daughter, of course!" Elesis answered, confused.

"Then you have no right to use vulgarity in my presence!" Sieghart snapped.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Arme demanded. Wait, what? "I-I mean. . ."

"Y-You. . ." Elesis stuttered. "I-I mean. . ."

"You!" Sieghart exclaimed, then grabbed Elesis by her hair and chucked her into the river!

"What the hell?!" I yelled. Elesis landed into the water with a loud splash.

"Elesis!" I cried out.

"Why the hell did you just throw your own daughter into the river?!" Arme shouted.

"Ronan, don't!" Sieghart cried, holding me back. "Did you just see that?!" Uhm. . . Maybe?

"What the hell are you trying to do, drown me?!" came Elesis' voice from the water. She had surfaced. Which wasn't right. At all.

Sieghart pointed his sword at Elesis. "Ronan, jump and I'll drown you."

"W-Wait, what are you planning?" Elesis asked nervously.

I tried to attack Sieghart, and got kicked into the river.

"I-I am your daughter, are you trying to kill me?!" Elesis demanded.

"Draw your sword, Elesis," Sieghart said, "and show your old man what you've got." He pointed his sword at her. "En garde!"

"W-Wait, you want me to fight you?!"

"Well? It's either me or your hair."

"Wait, you're gonna cut my hair off?!" Elesis seemed quite confused.

"En garde!" Sieghart said again, then jumped at her.

"Hey, wait, how can I even fight while in the river?!" Elesis exclaimed. "And I don't even have a weapon on me!"

"Take this, ya old geezer!" Arme shouted, and petrified Sieghart.

"Improvi- what the?!" Sieghart shouted.

"Okay, I saw that!" I yelled, and began to throw dust chips at Elesis. This was either not her, or she was possessed.

"Dirty. . ." Sieghart grumbled, as he fell into the river.

"Ow!" Elesis complained.

"Heh, this is such an accomplishment for me," Arme said, praising herself. Or itself.

Anyway, I jumped onto Elesis, trapping her in the water, seeing as how I weighed more than her, and kissed her.

"Mmph?!"

"I've seen it all," I heard Sieghart say.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"W-Why the h-hell. . .?!" Elesis sputtered.

I blinked softly at her. "Because I love my Elesis. . . more than the world. . . But you're not Elesis, are you?"

"O-Of course I a-a-am. . ." I could tell by her voice she was lying.

"Arme. . ." I said.

"This is harder than I thought it would be," she said. "I mean, if I can possess someone with such magic to rival mine, it should've been easy to take over two people. I had you fooled well, until Sieghart came."

"Why?" I asked.

"Heeeelp. . ." I heard, Sieghart's voice fading. Eh, heh. . .

"Or perhaps," Elesis said, continuing Arme's words, "it's my lack of acting. Let the old man drown, he should be dead anyway."

"Gah!" I cried out, and pulled Sieghart out of the river, who was now unpetrified.

"Witch, I'll kill you!" Sieghart yelled, suddenly on fire. . . _Purple_ fire.

"Oh crap," Arme and Elesis said together.

Sieghart charged. I tackled him, as Elesis climbed out of the river. I got hissed at by Sieghart. Oh, brother. . .

Then I noticed Ryan down the river.

"Hmph, mangy old dog is here," I heard Elesis mutter.

"Arme!" Sieghart yelled. Then Elesis shoved Sieghart back into the river.

"Heh, I want to see you drown," Elesis said, sneering. Then Sieghart jumped out of the river and grabbed her throat. Elesis let out a choking sound.

"Get out of my daughter's mind and body," Sieghart said.

"H-How about n-no?" Elesis struggled to say.

"Let go of her!" Arme shouted, sounding as if she were choking, herself.

"Fine," Sieghart said, then threw Elesis at Arme.

"Hey!" Elesis protested, hitting Arme, who let out a cry.

Then Sieghart jumped on Arme, pushing Elesis off gently.

"Heh?!" Arme looked at Sieghart. "Get off me, old man!" The "old man" stabbed his sword into her cloak. Arme let out a small yelp.

"You better do what I say, girl," Sieghart threatened.

Elesis tried to jump Sieghart from behind, but I grabbed her arm.

"Hey!"

"Let Elesis be!" I hissed in her ear.

"And why should I?" Elesis said. "You know as well as I that I wouldn't give in too easily."

"What did you think you would gain by doing what you just did to Ronan?" Sieghart demanded.

"I was hoping he would kill himself, knowing that his _beloved_ didn't want to see him again," Elesis answered.

"And why exactly would you wish Ronan to kill himself?"

"One less member of Grand Chase to worry about, of course."

"Witch. . ." Sieghart drew his sword along Elesis' arm, cutting a line into it.

"Ow! Let me go, dammit!" She began to kick me. "Unhand me now!" I held Elesis close with a hug. She kept trying to attack me.

"Arme, you better stop," I said.

"Heh, stop what?" Arme said.

"Stop possessing Elesis!"

"Think I'll listen to _you_, Royal Guard Master?"

"Then you better listen to me!" Sieghart turned around and kick Arme over, and slashed her back.

"Ow! You realize you are also hurting the mage?!" Arme shouted.

"Kaze'aze?!" Sieghart exclaimed. Uhm, wow, slow-poke.

"You realize that now?!" Arme shouted.

"Sorry, I had porcupine stupid in my ass," Sieghart said, then grabbed her by the back of her neck.

"Well, that's to be expected. After all, you're just an old geezer, of course you're slo-" Arme didn't finish as Sieghart stuffed Arme's head into the river. Sieghart then grabbed Arme's staff and began whacking her with it.

"Work, work, _work_!" Sieghart yelled.

"Ow!" Elesis cried out. "Fuck you, Sieghart, I'm going to kill you!" Then she began to kick me as hard as she can. "Let me go!"

"Ack, no!" I cried out.

Suddenly, Ryan attacked Sieghart, who fell back.

"What are you doing?!" Ryan demanded. Arme pulled her head out of the water, choking.

"The Kaze'aze's possessed both Elesis and Arme!" Sieghart explained, then threw the staff at Arme's head. It connected, causing Arme to fall back into the water.

Then Elesis bit my hand. "Nngh mn mgh!" Was that supposed to be "Let me go"?

"Ow!" I cried out, then bit Elesis herself.

"Ow!" she cried out, herself.

I saw Sieghart wrestling Arme in the water, who kicked Sieghart.

"As if!" Sieghart said, then got bit by Arme on the hand. The two were now out of the river. Sieghart got free from Arme's grip, and stepped on her head, forcing her to the riverbed. "You know, you're a real nuisance."

"Get off," Arme muttered.

"Uh, how 'bout no?" Sieeghart said.

"Hmph, I've about drained my strength anyway, trying to keep a hold of two at once. However, I'll be back." Arme closed her eyes, and went limp, as did Elesis. I held her close.

"Ryan, I believe Lass has gone to sleep with a fight," Sieghart said.

"Ugh, what happened. . ." Arme said, groaning. She was herself again (I hoped).

"Uh, mental fight," Sieghart corrected. Then, to Ryan, "Take Arme to Lass, help her get healed, and bandage her up. If needed, have Ronan help. I'm sure he's seen breasts more than once." I turned red from that comment.

"Ngh, w-what happened. . .?" Elesis groaned, now awake herself. "R-Ronan? What happened? And why am I all wet?"

I only held her close and said, "C'mon, let's get you back to Lass. . ."

"L-Lass. . . How is he?" Arme asked.

"It's a long story," I said.

"He's asleep," Ryan answered.

Elesis sneezed, then asked, "Can I, uh, borrow your cloak again?" I saw Ryan head towards the woods, Arme with him.

"Of course," I said, taking my cloak off and giving it to Elesis. I looked around, but didn't see Sieghart.

Elesis shook herself a bit, getting me slightly wet, then wrapped the cloak around her. "I swear I get wet too often in my clothes. . ." she grumbled. I just let out a nervous laugh. Sitting down, she continued, "But, I bet you enjoy it Ronan."

I turned away, blushing and said, "N-N-ah. . ." I felt Elesis hug me from behind as she said, "Yeah. . ."

We soon came back to where the others were, after we realized we were alone again.

"I'll go check on Lass and Jin," Ryan said. "Arme, do you want to come with me?"

"Yeah, sure," Arme said, and went with Ryan.

"Ah," I said. They. . . left us again.

"Where's father going?" Elesis asked.

"I don't know. . ." I told her. "It seems he does this a lot when he's upset."

Elesis sighed. "He's upset a lot lately, I imagine. . ."

"It seems so," I said, then looked down and gently touched her stomach.

Elesis leaned against me as she said, "And I don't like to get possessed. . ."

"Neither do I," I whispered in her ear, wrapping my arms around her. She just sighed a bit before she fell asleep. I felt a bit uncomfortable in the position I was in with Elesis against me like this, so I carried her around for a bit until I found the others once more, who had gathered in a different spot. I set Elesis down under a nice oak tree before going over to Lire.

"Guys, where's Lass?" Lire asked worriedly.

"I thought he was with Jin?" I answered.

"Okay then, where's Jin?"

"Uh, let's see," Ryan said, before transforming into a wolf. All that fur must get stuffy in the summer.

Ryan began to sniff the ground and the trees. "I smell a blood scent mixed with Jin's. . . and Lass." He stood up. "Okay, follow me."

"I have a bad feeling. . ." Arme muttered, before following after Ryan. Lire and I followed suite. After awhile of walking, Ryan tripped over a body, and landed on his face, slipping out of his wolf form. He tried to speak, but the ground muffled his words.

"Ryan?!" Lire ran over to Ryan as he got up and turned the body over, revealing Lass. "It's Lass!"

"L-Lass?" Arme ran over. "Lass!"

Lass was covered in grass stains, and there were minor burns on his skin. "Ah. . . Arme. . ."

"Lass, what happened?!" Arme asked.

"I tried to stop Sieghart. . ." Lass said weakly.

"Sieghart?!"

"Hm, where's Jin?!" Ryan asked.

"Agh, he took him. . . I tried to stop him. . . He might kill him!" Lass coughed slightly. Arme muttered something before running off, in search of Sieghart.

"So tired. . ." Lass uttered before falling asleep.

"Let's take Lass back, Ryan," Lire said, and went back with Ryan, Lass in tow. I decided to go back with the two. After all, Arme can handle herself. Usually. . .


	48. Chapter 47: Enrage

**Author's Note**: Oops, I forgot to submit this. My bad.

--

"Dammit, where the hell is he. . ." I muttered. Soon I heard groaning, so I ran to the source of the sound. It turned out to be Sieghart, dragging Jin, who was groaning in pain.

"Sieghart, what are you doing?!" I asked angrily. Sieghart's aura was thick, and when he glared at me, his eyes gave him a look of insanity.

"Ugh. . . help. . ." Jin groaned.

"Sieghart, what is wrong with you?" I asked. Sieghart dropped Jin and then suddenly attacked me.

"Whoa!" I cried out, and stopped him with a Stone Curse. "Are you mad?!" I could tell my Stone Curse had almost no effect on him, as he was already breaking out of it.

"He's blind with rage. . ." Jin explained, still groaning.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"No, not me. . . Kaze'aze. . ." he explained. Not good.

"Did she possess him?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"Y-Yes. . . But he's out of control. . ."

"I think. . . we need to subdue him." Suddenly, Sieghart was free and he slashed at me. I managed to dodge in time, and yelled, "Dammit Sieghart, break free!"

"Ragh!" Sieghart yelled, and continuously performed skills on me, but they're so wild, I couldn't tell what they were.

I ran over to Jin, grabbed his arm, shouted, "Change of plans; run!" and ran, dragging Jin with me.

Sieghart charged after us, letting out this really insane, really scary roar.

"Hey, is someone here?!" I shouted. "Help!"

Ryan came out of nowhere and collided with Sieghart.

"Whoa, what the?!" Ryan cried out.

"He's possessed by Kaze'aze!" I shouted, as Sieghart grabbed Ryan by the head and chucked him into a tree.

"Just run!" I yelled, still dragging Jin with me. I never knew I could run so fast.

"Get. . . out. . . of my head!" Sieghart roared. I turned around and shot him with lightning. All that happened was his hair turned frizzier than it already was.

Jin was half slumped to the ground, half leaning against me. "What about. . . running?"

"Er. . ." I said, then continued running. Jin stumbled, and I was full-on dragging him now.

Glancing back, I saw Sieghart hold his head, flailing, then began to slash around wildly. He cut one of the trees, and oh-so-luckily, it fell in our direction.

"Oh f-" I began, before slamming my staff into the ground, turning the tree into ash. Unfortunately, I set the canopy on fire, as well. Stupid.

I sighed. "I ain't perfect. . ." as I tossed my lamp upwards, letting the Ice Spirit send snow through the forest.

"Ack, cold!" Jin shouted, now nicely chilled. I saw that Sieghart was covered in frost, but he was also colder, making him slower. He growled.

"Well, that helps. . ." I muttered, then sent an Ice Ball his way.

"Sieghart, s-sir, snap out of it!" Ryan said, shivering. I turned to run, but I ran into someone. "Hey?!"

"T-Arme?" It was Ronan.

"Sieghart's possessed!" I told him.

"What?! Oh grea-" Ronan began, before getting tackled by Siegahrt. "Get off!"

I grabbed Jin and hid the two of us someplace. I saw Sieghart rest his sword on Ronan's neck.

"I'll kill you now, Royal Guard Master," Sieghart hissed through his teeth.

Then Lire headbutted Siegahart, causing him to tumble away.

"You okay, Ronan?" Lire asked.

"I will be when Sieghart snaps to his senses. . ." Ronan grumbled.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lire asked Sieghart, nudging him. His eyes were closed, but the aura was still very strong.

"Hey, Lire, step away from him, he's dangerous," Ronan said. Lire backed away a bit, saying, "I know that already." Suddenly, Siegahrt jolted up and grabbed Lire's ankle. "Ah-ha!" He pulled her to the ground.

"Let me go!" Lire screamed, kicking Sieghart in the face.

"Grawrgh, I'll kill you!" Sieghart yelled, causing Lire to call for help. Well, more like scream. Sieghart was close enough for me to petrify him yet again, just as he grabbed his throat.

Lire managed to slip away from the petrified Sieghart.

"Y-You okay?" Lire asked.

"Give me Jin. . ." Sieghart mumbled.

"Why should we?" Ronan asked.

"You shouldn't, but I want to kill him!" Sieghart let out a loud laugh, before groaning. "Ah, my head." I added to his headache with a whack from my staff.

"Grh! I'll try not to kill you so quickly. . ." Sieghart muttered.

"Careful, Sieghart," I said. Then asked, "Is he free?"

"Of course he's not," Sieghart answered. "Think I'd give up that easily?" I kicked him. Then he got one of his legs free. Crap.

"Sieghart has so much power. . ." Sieghart laughed a bit. "It's. . . a bit overwhelming!" Then he got his arm free. . . and grabbed my throat; he began to choke me. A wicked smile began to grow across his face. "Move and I'll gauge her eyes out."

"H-He-lck. . ." I choked out.

Ronan pointed his tyrfing at Sieghart. "Drop her!" Lire did the same, but with an arrow in her bow instead.

"Give me Jin!" Sieghart demanded.

"No way!" Lire said.

"Fine. . ." Sieghart's grip tightened on my throat, and I couldn't breath.

Then, "Bastard!" and two kunai buried itself into Sieghart's wrists. Surprised, Sieghart let go of me and retreated a bit, holding his wrists, and I fell over.

"Lass?!" Lire exclaimed.

"That's right!" Lass jumped out of the canopy and landed beside me. Holding me up with one arm, he pointed his nadochi at Sieghart. "Don't you dare hurt her again, you filth!" Meanwhile, both Ronan and Lire got ready to attack.

Sieghart gripped the kunai with his teeth and yanked them out, spitting them on the floor. "Go ahead, Lire, shoot!" he spat.

"I can miss," Lire said, "but the resulting explosions will stun you." Sieghart readied his sword as Lire continued. "Get out of Sieghart's mind."

"Why?" Sieghart said tauntingly. "So much power. . . I could kill you all, if I had complete control." Sieghart began to shake. "Just a little bit more. . . Agh. . ."

"But why is it Jin you want?" Lire asked.

"Jin? Jin is no longer of any use for me, don't you see?"

"But. . . what if Sieghart lost his immortality?" I asked, voice raspy.

"I'd find another host eventually," Sieghart said. "Maybe another one graced with the blessing of the Gods. That'll be difficult of course, but it'll be worth it. . ." Then Sieghart charged, swinging his sword and throwing a wave of purple energy at Lire and Ronan, but missed.

Ronan charged, then leaped, dropping many Dust Chips all around Sieghart as Lire shot an arrow into Sieghart's hand. He stumbled backwards, causing numerous Chips to trigger, and cried out in pain. Sieghart threw his sword forward, but jerked as he cut a lock of Lass' hair off. Lass let out a small cry of protest.

Lire threw an arrow at Sieghart, apparently to use it as distraction. Sieghart kicked it away, just as Ronan came from behind and kicked Sieghart's feet out from under him. Ronan stepped on his chest, pinning Sieghart. "Okay, Sieghart," Ronan said, panting. Sieghart was basically crippled, without his weapon, and wounded.

"Phew," Ryan said, as he emerged from the bushes. There was a slight bump on his head where he had made impact with a tree earlier.

"This old rat is still stronger than all of you combined, even crippled," Sieghart hissed, then grasped Ronan's leg, albeit weakly, and twisted it. Ronan cried out in pain, and dropped down to one knee and hand. Lire shot an arrow at Sieghart's hand, but he used Ronan's leg to take it. Then Sieghart grinned, a wild, menacing sight, and jerked. There was a loud snap.

"Ronan!" Lire cried out, as Ronan screamed in pain and fell over.

"I still have legs!" Sieghart cried out, as he got up and ran into the bushes. Lire shot arrows after Sieghart, as Lass cried out, "No so fast!" set me down, and pursued Sieghart. Soon, Lass and Sieghart were out of sight.

Ronan was squirming in pain, holding his right leg, apparently broken. "He broke my leg!" Ronan cried out, shaking.

"Lay back, you'll only worsen it!" Ryan said. Ronan lay onto his back, face twisted in pain.

Carefully, Ryan gripped the broken leg and carefully straightened it. Meanwhile, Lire came over with some bandages and wood, to make a splint.

Ronan cried out in pain as Ryan worked, and yelled, "My damned leg!"

"Uh, I don't think he wants me touching him anymore," Ryan said.

"Damned straight!" Ronan said, gritting his teeth. Lire set the wood and bandages together on Ronan's leg, binding it tightly.

Ryan and Lire then began to carry Ronan back to where Elesis was, with me helping Jin back. Jin limped over to Elesis and sat against a tree, leaning back, and fell asleep.

Soon, Lass came stumbling back, a kunai caught in his hair. He fingered the kunai a bit before untangling it and tossing it.

"Uh, Lass?" Lire said.

"Huh, yeah? Is Ronan alright?" Lass asked.

"Well, he has a broken leg," she said.

"U-Uh, damn that wench. . ." Lass grumbled.

"I wish Kaze'aze would stop hiding behind everyone and come out and fight us all, face to face," Lire muttered.

"Bet she's too ugly-" Lass began, before an odd dog came out and bit Lass on his butt.

"What the hell?!" Lire exclaimed. Lass fell over onto his face, allowing me a better look of the dog.

Its features. . . The dog looked like a miniature, doggified version of Kaze'aze.


	49. Chapter 48: Kaze'doggeh

"Uh, what is that?" Lire asked. I heard a growl as my face lay in the dirt. Turning over a bit, I saw that it. . . was my puppy!

"Kaze'doggeh!" I exclaimed, and hugged him. "My puppy!"

"Your. . . puppy?" Lire asked, confused. Kaze'doggeh proceeded to lick my face.

"Uhm, it looks like. . . uh. . ." Lire hesitated. "Your dog reminds me of. . . Kaze'aze. . ." Point?

"Dog?" I heard Ryan say. "I love dogs." Turning around, I saw that Ryan had turned into his wolf form. Meanwhile, Lire had came closer to Kaze'doggeh, who growled and tried to bite her nose. Immediately, she jumped back with a yelp.

"Aw, how cute!" I said. "He likes you!"

"My nose," Lire complained, rubbing it.

"Hello, in pain here?!" Ronan cried out.

Kaze'doggeh jumped out of my arms, went over to Ronan, and urinated on his shoes.

"For the love of-!" Ronan shouted.

"He likes you too, Ronan!" I forced myself to say, and picked up Kaze'doggeh, who licked me again. I huggled him tightly. Suddenly, Kaze'doggeh turned and glared at Arme, who glared back.

"What are you looking at, ya' mutt?" Arme snapped.

"Aw, they're connecting!" I said.

"Lass, I'm sorry, but I don't like your dog," Arme said. And turned her back on him. Aw. . .

I frowned and pouted only slightly. "Sorry boy, but maybe you need to go back to the castle. . . ruins." Kaze'doggeh snorted.

"Castle?" Arme asked.

"Don't blame me that it got burnt down!" I said defensively.

"What castle?"

I pointed at Kaze'doggeh. "Oh, nothing, just. . . something." I got bit as Arme asked, "What castle is it, Lass?" and yowled in pain, then answered, "It's not really a castle!"

Kaze'doggeh barked.

"Fine, it is," I said.

"And what's at this castle?" Arme asked.

"It was somewhere that the Kaze'aze gathered her minions and such," I answered, then waved my hand in front of my face and yawned. "I remember standing next to, uh. . . someone. . . Ow."

"Really?" Arme was interested now. Kaze'doggeh barked again.

"Uh, yeah, what he said," I said.

"I don't understand mutt," Arme said coldly. Ouch.

Ronan tried to get up, but he only hurt himself more.

"Don't try to move," Lire told him. Ronan turned his head away, looking depressed.

Ryan took Kaze'doggeh at me, who then made a faced and began barking.

"Shut that thing up already. . ." Arme muttered.

"Uh, hold on. . ." Ryan told her. "Calm down, doggie." Kaze'doggeh just kept barking.

"Just set him down!" I yelled over the barking.

"No wait, calm down, doggie!" Ryan yelled, to no avail. Then Ryan snapped, turned into a wolf, and growled, "I said 'Calm down'!" Kaze'doggeh let out a yelp and began to cry.

"My puppy!" I exclaimed, and snatched Kaze'doggeh from Ryan's furry grasp. "Don't worry," I cooed, "Ryan's just so evil!"

"Hey, he is _no_i evil!" Lire protested. Ryan turned back to normal.

"Evil!" I cried out, and got slapped. "Ow!"

Kaze'doggeh began to cry more.

"Shut the hell up already!" Arme snarled.

"I'm gonna go insane, aren't I?" Ronan muttered.

"Uh, maybe," Lire answered. "Ryan, can you bring Ryan over to Elesis? Or vice versa, doesn't matter."

"Sure." Ryan turned into a wolf once more. "Set him on my back." I began to soothe my puppy as Lire tried to get Ronan onto Ryan's back. I think my cute, widdle puppy cooed back at me. How cute!

Then I set him down. "Be a good boy," I told him.

"Yeah, be a good boy and stay out of my sight," Arme grumbled. Then Kaze'doggeh jumped at her.

"Bad doggy!" I scolded, as I caught him mid-leap.

"I said stay out of my sight, you stupid mutt!" Arme shouted.

Kaze'doggeh barked at me. _Your girlfriend doesn't like me!_

"Yeah, I know!" I said, then began to shake Kaze'doggeh. "Why can't you just be good?"

_Because you're _my i_boy! Not hers! Stopstopstop!_

"No, you're _my_ boy!" I said. "You're being a very bad boy!"

_B-B-But!_

"Bad boy!" I repeated, as Arme threw a rock at Kaze'doggeh. He turned and caught the rock in his teeth, then glared evilly at Arme. She glared back just as evilly. Eep.

Kaze'doggeh snorted, then jumped out of my hands and followed Ryan clumsily. Then Arme threw another rock at my puppy, who dodged and jumped onto her head and began to tear at her hair. Arme let out a loud yell.

"Bad doggie!" I shouted, and snatched Kaze'doggeh off Arme's head. "He's gone nuts! Go follow Ryan, Kaze'doggeh!"

Kaze'doggeh whimpered, and then growled. He lifted his chin and tail up, in a dignified way, and walked off.

Arme grumbled, "Get near me one more time and you're toast. . ."

"Might as well go see Elesis, and Jin," I said with a sigh.

"I hate that stupid thing," Arme muttered, then took out her creepy hat with the eyes on it and put it on. I hugged my precious mage tightly and murmured to her, "You're still beautiful."

She hugged me back and mumbled, "Thanks." She wasn't looking that happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong," she answered. I frowned. "Alright. . ."

"I'm so roasting that dog if I catch it alone," Arme muttered. I drew away from Arme, leaving her to her puppy-roasting thoughts, and headed off towards Elesis and Jin.

"Looks like Elesis and Jin are asleep," I said to myself. Elesis may have been in a nightmare, as she was kicking out in her sleep.

Ryan the wolf had his front paws over Ronan's mouth, words coming out of it. "Oh, hey."

Kaze'doggeh was sitting next to Ryan. My puppy was getting glared at by Lire. He stuck his tongue out at Lire, then huddled next to Ryan. Lire sat on the opposite side next to Ryan. When he let go of Ronan's mouth, he began complaining about the "demon dog."

Kaze'doggeh bit Ronan's shoulder, and he let out a cry of pain. Lire kicked Kaze'doggeh off. "Off!" Ryan the wolf set Kaze'doggeh away and said, "Why don't you check on Lass?" Kaze'doggeh barked and walked away.

Then Lire said, "Hey!" She looked over at Elesis. "Elesis?" She was muttering something.

"What's she say?" I asked.

Lire whacked Elesis and muttered, "That's for kicking me." To me, "I don't know."

"Wake up, sleepy head!" I said, and whacked her. I got a kick in the leg and fell over. "Wake her up, will you?!"

Lire poked Elesis, who proceeded to kick Lire in the face. Lire backed off immediately, grumbling, "Get Ronan to wake her up. . ."

"Ronan's asleep, and crippled," I reminded her.

"Well, he's next to her," Lire told me.

I touched Elesis gently with my nodachi, and she yelped, waking up.

"Finally!" I said.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Elesis exclaimed. "That hurt!"

"Well, being kicked hurts too!" I snapped at her.

"Well, sorry that I can't control my actions while I sleep," Elesis muttered.

"Yeah, well, your dad's possessed by Kaze'aze," I said.

"What?!" Elesis cried out. "Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?!" Well, you were asleep, duh.

Elesis got up and disappeared into the forest, followed by Ryan, who told her to stop.

"Nice going Lass," Lire said. Oopsies.

--

I caught Elesis' arm as she tripped over a rock and helped her up. However, I didn't let go.

"Thanks, now let me go!" Elesis yelled.

"No!" I told her. "Look, we really don't know where he went. Lass said something about somewhere, but we're not sure. And Ronan needs you."

"I. . . but. . . Father could. . . be in danger," Elesis told me.

"Sieghart can take care of himself," I reminded her. "He's done it for most of his life, and we've seen that proof."

"Then why is he still possessed by Kaze'aze?!" Elesis asked. I looked down before answering. "Sieghart was fighting it. I'm sure he's fine, but Kaze'aze used his strength to break Ronan's leg. Ronan needs you at his side right now, Elesis."

Elesis looked like she was going to protest, but then said, "Okay, let's go back. . ." I could see that she was reluctant.

"I wish I could do two things at once. . ." Elesis said to herself. It was a few minutes before we came back, and Ronan was awake.

"Ronan, how do you feel?" Elesis asked, at his side immediately.

"I feel fine," Ronan said, with a groan.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. . ."

Elesis bent over and gave Ronan a hug. He returned it with one arm. I saw Lass sitting in a tree, toying with a kunai. Then Elesis stood. "I'm going to go into the forest for a bit."

Ronan watched her begin to leave, then sighed, and closed his eyes. He wasn't asleep though, his breathing told us that much.

"Elesis, maybe you shouldn't go," Lire said. "I mean, Sieghart can take care of himself, right?"

"Then if he can, then why hasn't he already broken free of Kaze'aze's control?" Elesis countered, then disappeared into the forest. Ronan sighed again.

"What's wrong Ronan?" Lass asked.

"Nothing," Ronan answered, as Lire went after Elesis.

"They're all leaving," I said, sighing.

"You're right. . ." Lass said.

Ronan, Lass and I all sighed. Jin said, "I'll go after them."

"Fine, but I'll come with you in case," Lass said.

"In case. . ." I inquired.

"Well, he was on the verge of dying the other day!" Lass told me.

Jin didn't say anything, he just walked off.

"Hey, wait up!" Lass yelled, and ran after.

"I'll stay here with Ronan," I said to no one in particular.

--

"You know where the castle is?" I asked Jin. I heard Kaze'doggeh walking behind us.

"Yes. . ." Jin answered. Kaze'doggeh and began to butter up to Jin. That traitor!

Then Elesis ran into Jin. He stumbled.

"Hey, Elesis, watch it!" I yelled. "Jin ain't as peachy as you."

"Well, _sorry_ that I didn't see him!" Elesis snapped.

"It's alright." Jin sighed and staggered to his feet.

"Father, where are you?" Elesis called out, and began to head off again.

"Hey, wait!" I called.

"Huh? What?" Elesis looked at me.

"Are you looking for the castle he might be in?" I asked.

"Castle? He's in a castle?" Elesis seemed doubtful. "Oh, that would make sense, I think."

"Well, it's not really a castle," I said. "But are you looking for it?"

"Well, if that's where father is, then yes. If not, no," Elesis answered.

"Jin and I know the way. We could show you," I said. I looked for Jin, and saw that he was ahead of us. Hey! The two of us ran to Jin.

We soon arrived.

The castle was more of a fortress of blue-colored crystal. Even though it was made of crystal, the fortress hardly looked pretty. It towered above us, the turrets looking empty and worn down. You couldn't see through the walls.

"So this is the place?" Elesis asked, looking up. I nodded. "Seems really. . . fragile."

"Not really," I told her, and to show it, I picked up a rock and threw it at the side of the gate. The rock hit and fell to the ground, broken into pieces.

"Shouldn't be hard to get in, I suppose," Elesis said.

"Yea-"I began, then threw a kunai into the bushes nearby. "Who's there?!"

"Watch it Lass!" Lire stepped out of the bushes.

"Oh, it's only Lire," I said with a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing here?" Elesis asked.

"Uh, I was just taking a walk!" Lire lied.

"Then why are you here?" Elesis asked, wary.

"Yeah, well. . ." I grumbled, then I leaped onto the castle and ran up the side, scaling it until I reached the top of the wall. Jin followed, emanating waves of chi and soon made it up next to me. The wound Sieghart gave him began to open.

"Hey, be careful!" Elesis shouted from below.

Suddenly, a giant hand, the color of red, white, and a deep navy blue, grabbed Jin. Lire and I cried out, and I tried to save Jin, but the hand pulled him into the fortress. Damn!

"How are we gonna get up there?!" Lire shouted.

"Beats me," Elesis said. Then I noticed Kaze'doggeh headbutt the fortress gate. He barked and padded over to a doggy door.

"No, way I can fit in there," Lire said, as Kaze'doggeh walked in.

"You try and fit through," Elesis said.

"I am _not_ that small!" Lire protested.

"Yeah, well, neither am I!" Elesis shouted, and kicked the door. There was growling from the other side.

"Uh, bad idea?" Lire squeaked.

Then I saw a faint silhouette of Kaze'doggeh, backed by a larger silhouette.

"Uh, run?" Elesis said.

"Good idea," Lire said, then turned around and ran into Arme. I jumped down in time for Arme to shout, "Watch where you're going!"

Then a purple Gorgos burst through the door. Kaze'doggeh barked at it.

"Oh, a Gorgos?" Arme didn't sound fazed. "What's it doing here?" Then she noticed Kaze'doggeh. "That mutt?!"

Kaze'doggeh barked once, then shout out a bright green laser through its mouth, hitting the Gorgos on the head. It fell over, stunned. Kaze'doggeh barked again, then turned and ran into the castle. Uh, okay, what happened? Anyway, Elesis, Lire, Arme and I followed Kaze'doggeh.

He lead us down the castle, going through corridor after corridor. Kaze'doggeh barked once as he pushed past through two large doors.

"Where the hell are we?" Arme asked, as we entered the room.

The room was enormous. There were tons of footprints scattered around, all of various sizes. Some were massive, and there were some hover-prints, which were the most common around the shaded edges of the room. Arme walked over to a footprint.

Suddenly, a Dark Anmon Scout snatched Kaze'doggeh up and jumped to the second floor, onto a balcony.

"Get out. . . trap. . ." a voice groaned. The doors suddenly closed. Then a forcefield surrounded us all, electricity crackling, and a large mass of Dark Mages and Lichs appear from the shadows.

"Looks like we're in for a fight. . ." Elesis muttered.

Then the electricity died away, revealing a cage in front of us. Who was that in it?

"What the hell is this?" Elesis asked, then sliced at the cage. The bars were thick, but cyrstalline, and they held against the sword.

Then it went dark for a moment, and I was in another cage, this time with Sieghart and Jin.

"Lass!" Arme cried out, and ran over.

"Father? Is that you?" Elesis started to come closer.

"Honey. . . stay back. . ." Sieghart groaned.

"Arme, no," I said. "Don't get any closer!" I was afraid, now. Jin was slumped on the bars, bleeding.

"What happened?!" Arme asked, running over.

"No, stop!" I shouted.

Immediately, Arme stopped, just as the Dark Mages sent bolts of lightning into our cage. Jin and I cried out in pain, Sieghart trying to bear it. We were all a bit fried when the electricity stopped. I saw Lire and Elesis fall over.

Arme growled, then shot a bolt of lightning at the Dark Mages. There was a small shimmer of light, and then Arme's lightning was reflected back at her. She cried out in pain, and fell over.

"A-Arme!" I cried out, as I heard barking.

Soon, a Scout descended with Kaze'doggeh. The Scout looked a bit nervous.

"Bwahaha!" Kaze'doggeh. . . laughed? The Scout looked awkward.

Kaze'doggeh coughed, then began to speak. "*Awthou it's hawd to speek fom a dog's mouf. . ." What witchcraft was this?! Kaze'doggeh laughed again, and barked a bit.

"M-Mangy old. . . mutt. . ." Arme muttered.

"**Actuwaly, this is. . . nevuhmin'," Kaze'doggeh said.

"I-I can t-tell who. . . you are. . ." Arme growled.

"***Yew awl awe abowt tew fawl intew a deep sleep. . . Sweet drems. . ." Kaze'doggeh said, then coughed again. "Stoopid dogs. . ."

"N-No!" Lire cried out. "I don't want to f-fall asleep, in a place like this. . ." Kaze'doggeh's eyes seemed to change, and he began to bark wildly. The Scout began to panic and run around a bit. That same red, white, and navy hand that grabbed Jin early appeared from the ceiling, the fingers demonic, pointed and hooked, and snatched both Kaze'doggeh and the Scout. It disappeared into the ceiling.

The Dark Mages and Necromancers began to chant, their eyes glowing, as the girls grew drowsy.

"No, Arme!" I cried out, throwing myself against the bars.

"Elesis!" Sieghart yelled, and then began to cough up blood. Soon, the three girls were asleep, and were about to experience their own nightmare.

–

Additional Notes:  
* "Although it's hard to speak from a dog's mouth. . ."  
** "Actually, this is. . . never mind."  
*** "You all are about to fall into a deep sleep. . . Sweet dreams. . . Stupid dogs. . ."


	50. Chapter 49: Arme's Nightmare

I awoke. Or so I thought.

"Ugh. . ." I groaned, then looked around. "Huh? I'm awake? Where am I?" Then I saw myself, crying.

"_I don't know, why does everyone have to involve me?! I'm just a mage! All I wanted was to learn more about magic!_"

I realized then I was in a flashback, a memory.

"I-I remember this. . ." I said to myself. Then I saw Lass step forward, but then. . . stop.

"_I'm sorry_," he said. "_Let's go, we'll find Elesis on our own_."

"W-Wait, what?" I said.

Lass, Ronan, and Ryan started to just leave me there, crying. . .

"W-Wait, what's going on?!" I asked. And then, I, myself, entered the flashback, still crying. The emotion flooded into me. No. . . Lass! Come back!

"A-Ah, no!" I cried. "Why are you leaving me?! L-Lass, wait!" Ronan looked back, eyes filled with sympathy.

"Go away." Lass' voice was like ice, and it shot through me like a dagger. "We don't need you anymore, and you don't need us. We're not a part of Grand Chase anymore, remember?"

"P-Please. . . I. . ." I said.

They turned and walked away, disappearing into the forest.

"N-No, Lass! Wait, please! C-Come back!" I begged. No, why, Lass, why?! I didn't mean what I had said! I need you!

I fell over sobbing. "P-Please, c-come b-back. . ." I don't know why, but I began to cry even harder. There was laughter in the air, sounding like Lass, but it wasn't right.

"W-W-Who's t-there?!" I demanded between sobs. Then it grew white, and I was in another memory.

"N-No, not again," I whispered.

A blue aura bumped against a jail cell, but it couldn't fit.

"What is it?" Ronan grabbed the aura and pushed it backward so he could see it.

I whimpered.

Inside was Lass, body lying in a puddle of blood, skin stained by the thick, red liquid. Lass' eyes were open, unblinking, lifeless, blood pouring from his nose. He was still breathing.

The aura circled about Lass body. Ronan cut the bubble in half, letting the aura out, and it entered Lass' body.

He let out a loud gasp, and began to sputter out blood. Then he let out a loud scream.

"Lass! I cried out.

Ronan pried the bars apart and used his Holy Inferno, bathing Lass in a soft, blue light, but it didn't help

Lass kept screaming, crying, tears of blood falling from his eyes. He squirmed and struggled in the blood.

"Damn it, why won't it work?!" Ronan cried out, frustrated.

I covered my ears, and closed my eyes. "This isn't real, this isn't happening, it's only a dream, a horrible, terrible, aching nightmare that won't let me out. . ."

Even with my eyes closed and ears covered, I could still see and hear. Lass continued to gasp for air, but then his screams were drowned out as a massive amount of blood escaped from his mouth.

"Lass, stay with us!" Ronan cried. "Damn it, where's Ryan!" Ronan began to panic.

"Please, oh please, let this be over. . ." I begged.

Soon, Lass grabbed Ronan's wrist and looked up at him, eyes filled with pain.

"No, wait, Lass, no!" Ronan's voice was filled with pain.

Lass eyes dropped to look out of the cell. His gaze rested on me, before his eyes widened, then closed halfway, staring at me as his last breath escaped his lips.

"Lass!" Ronan cried out.

"_Why can't I wake up_?!" I screamed. "_Why_?!"

I saw Ronan grab Lass and shake him, tears flowing down his face. "Agh, no!"

"No, no, no, _no_!" I cried out desperately. Then, I bit my hand, as hard I could, tasting the salty tang of blood.

Then the scene changed on me. I thought I woke up, because it was the same place I was in, before I had fallen into this hellish nightmare. The Dark Mages were all gone, and in the cage, only Sieghart was there.

"S-Sieghart?" I called out, hesitantly. "Where is everyone?"

"We're the only ones here," Sieghart answered.

"B-But the others?" I asked.

"Ronan, I broke his leg." Sieghart looked down before continuing. "Elesis and Lire, I don't know. . . When I woke up, only you were here. Ryan either." He shook his head.

"W-Why did you break Ronan's leg?" I asked, then realized something. "Wait, h-he was left behind at the forest. . . as was Ryan."

"I was possessed, but I experienced it all." With a sigh, Sieghart lay down on his back, staring at the roof of his cage.

"W-Where is everyone. . ." I asked. "Where. . . Lass?"

"Lass? Who's that?" Sieghart asked. No. . .

"Y-You know him," I said. "The white-haired male. . . The assassin, thief. . . Him?"

"Never met him." What happened. . .? "Don't think I'd like him though."

"B-But. . . What about Jin then?" I asked.

Sieghart looked down. "You were there, weren't you?"

"Where?"

Sieghart squeezed his eyes shut. "When I had to speak to the Kaze'aze. . . through Jin. . . About how. . . Ryan was put into a coma and sent nightmares. . ." No, that wasn't Ryan!

"No, that was Lass!" I shouted.

"No. . ."

"Yes it was! I-I was there! Lass was the one who was in a coma. . . not Ryan. . ." I squeaked out the last words.

"Jin's dead. . ." Sieghart said, as if I never spoke. What?! "It's my fault. . ."

"No, we saved him. . ." I said. "We saved Jin!" Then I stopped. "Wait, t-this is just another nightmare. . . I-It's just a nightmare. . ."

"I would hope so. . . I'd love to wake up right now. . . Jin. . ." Sieghart covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry I killed you. . ."

"I hate this, I want to wake up. . ." I whispered. "I want to see everyone again. . ."

"_But you can't. . ._"

"_We won't allow it. . . _"

"W-Who's there?!" I cried out, looking around. Then Jin and Lass appeared in front of me, Lass' back turned to me.

"L-Lass?"

He turned around and looked at me. "What?" His voice was like ice.

"W-What's going on. . .? No, I don't need to ask that, I know what's going on. . . I'm in a nightmare. . . The worst nightmare I've ever had. . . And you're alive, I know it, a-and I love you. . . but this is a nightmare, and I k-know that. . . things will become even worse. . ." I was afraid.

"That's right, but. . ." Jin said, voice ominous.

"To end this nightmare," Lass added.

"You have to kill the broken," Lass and Jin said, together.

"And that means us," Jin said.

"W-What?" I said, surprised. "K-Kill you? I-I can't kill you guys. . ."

"Then have your mind rot in this everlasting nightmare," Lass spat.

"N-No, I'll wake up, and I 'll do it without killing you!" I shouted.

"_Arme_!" I heard. I-It was Lass, and yet. . . it wasn't this Lass I was facing.

"L-Lass?" I called out.

"_Wake up! Please!_"

"Rgh, shut up!" this "Lass" yelled.

"I-I'm trying!" I answered.

"_Lire, Arme, Elesis. . . You have to wake up before it's too late. . ._" It was Sieghart that time.

"Oh, please, please," I begged. "I-I'm so. . . I'm so scared. . . I d-don't want to do this, but. . . but. . ." I looked over at the fake Lass and Jin.

"Hey, are you okay?" the dream Sieghart asked. "You're talking to yourself."

"At least. . . I'm talking to someone who is. . . real. . ." I told him.

"You know, if this were a nightmare, I'd be so happy. . . 'cuz none of this is real. . ." he told me, with a sigh. "No one dies in real life if someone dies in a nightmare."

I agreed weakly.

"Thank the Gods for that. . ."

"This is your final ticket out of the nightmare, mage," Jin whispered.

My mind clicked. "I'm so happy," I said, "But. . . I have to kill. . . those two." I pointed to the Lass and Jin in this dreaded nightmare. "And even though I know they aren't real. . . I'm going to have trouble. . . doing it. . ."

"If I killed my daughter in a nightmare, I'd be overcome with sadness. . ." Sieghart said.

"Sieghart, please, step back," I told him.

Sieghart did as I asked, but he kept talking. "I'd hug her so tightly. And I might smite Ronan a bit. . ." He sounded far-off, as I prepared my staff.

"I'm sorry, but you two. . . have to die, if it means waking up. . ." I said, turning to the two in the disguise of Jin and my dear one. Lass' eyes widened as I spoke those words.

"You don't have the guts," Jin said, sounding unsure of himself. I heard Sieghart still talking. "Oh, Elesis, I miss you. . ."

"You think I don't, Jin?" I told him. I felt as if I had a slightly maniacal smile on my face. "Remember the time, when we found out you had drugged the boys? Or when I fought Elesis back at Kaze'aze's Castle?"

"Or when Sieghart nearly killed me? Or in this case, killed me?" Jin continued.

"In my nightmare, you died," I told him. "But in reality, he simply wounded you, so that we could bring you back."

"So, what, you're going to have me killed again? Can you really do that? To me? To Lass?" Jin's face seemed to have contorted in my eyes.

"_Arme! Please!_" I'm coming, Lass, just hold on. . .

"I can, and I will, if it means I can see my one love again. . ." I whispered. "Farewell, nightmare. . ." I raised my staff up, feeling the air swirl, dance, twirl, around me, concentrating into a large mass of dangerous energy in front of me. And I aimed it at Jin and Lass. The ones I had to destroy, to get out of this nightmare.

The Air Blast ripped through them, and they faded into nothing.

Sieghart looked up, and he began to fade as well. "Was this all a dream?" Even his voice was fading. In fact, all but I was fading away.

"Yes, it was, and you can see your daughter again, Sieghart," I whispered weakly. Everything was gone, but me.

"Now what?" I asked myself.

"_Arme! Wake up. . . I love you. . ._" Lass. . .

"_It could be too late. . ._"

"_No, I have faith that she'll fight this. . ._"

"Lass," I whispered, the last of my strength fading. "I. . . love. . . you. . ." I felt myself fall down, as everything faded into black.


	51. Chapter 50: Lire's Nightmare

**Author's Note**: I have plans for a sequel, but hopefully it won't be this long.

--

I opened my eyes, and thought I was awake.

"Uh. . . huh?"

I saw myself slap Ronan in the face, then walk over to Ryan, kicking him in a tender spot. I flinched.

"I remember this. . ." I murmured. "Seeing it now. . . It still brings back the anger and sadness I felt back then. . ."

"_I don't even know why you even like her. . ._"

"_I'm never going to forgive you!_" "I" ran off.

Everything blurred for a second or two, before it sharpened again, to the Temple of Cuatal. I saw Ryan, looking for. . . For what?

"R-Ryan?" I called.

He turned around, surprised to see me. "Lire?! I-I'm sorry, I really am. I did love you. . . B-But I mean. . ."

"R-Ryan?" I was confused. What was this? "What are you saying?"

Ryan just shook his head. "Why are you here?" he asked me.

"I-I don't know," I answered. "At first, I was somewhere else."

"It's late, you should get going," he said. "I dropped something, I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going, Ryan?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"I dropped something," was all he said, and pointed to the Temple. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

"Do you want me to help you find it?" I offered.

"N-No, I'm fine," Ryan said nervously. What was wrong? He turned into a wolf, and ran off.

"R-Ryan, wait!" I called out, and ran after him. It almost seemed as if. . . Ryan was hiding something. . . He ran into the Temple.

It seemed as if time moved quickly, literally. Suddenly, I was inside the Temple, and there was Ryan, looking around.

"Vanessa?" he called out.

I felt a sharp stab of pain in my chest. N-No. . . Why?

"_Who's there?_"

"_S-Samsara?!_"

"_I can't defeat him by myself. . ._"

"_Filth. . ._"

A bright flare of fire.

"_Eeeyaaaaack!_"

Ryan was still standing. But he was struck again, and turned into nothing more than a pile of cinders. . .

"No, Ryan!" I cried out. Even if he loved Vanessa. . . I still loved him. . . But. . . What was going on? I fell to my knees, crying, as the scenery seemed to change.

An explosion, and then a cave entrance crumbling, blocking the way.

I screamed.

"_Nice. . ._" Sieghart muttered, sarcastically. I found myself with Lass, Jin, Amy, and Sieghart.

"_I didn't think my arrow would drop. . ._" "I" said.

"W-What is this?" I asked myself.

There was Ronan, in the distance, in a nightmare, and Ryan. . . was next to him, squirming, holding his eyes. . .

Walking over, Sieghart called out Ryan's name.

"_Y-You're b-back?_" Ryan exclaimed, voice shaking.

"I" walked over to Ryan. "_R-Ryan. . ._" Ryan didn't look up, but he stopped squirming, and started shaking.

"_Ryan, are you okay?_"

"_Oh, Lire. . ._"

"W-What's going on?!" I cried out, holding my head. Why. . . Why was I reliving all this? I. . . I didn't like this, not one bit. . .

"I-I can't see. . ." Ryan whispered. "I'm blind. . . My eyes, they're gone. . ."

"What's happening?" Sieghart asked.

"Ryan, he's blind. . ." Arme answered.

"What?" Sieghart looked at Ryan. "Open your eyes, boy!"

"I don't have eyes!" Ryan cried out. "I don't know, they're gone!" Sieghart flinched.

Gone?

"H-How did this happen?" Arme asked shakily.

"I-I don't know what happened," Ryan answered. "Something came out of the cave and it passed by me, or though me. I closed my eyes, but when I opened them, it was all black. . . I realized that my eyes were gone when I tried to rub them. . . I'm going to be blind forever!" No, why?! This wasn't what happened!

"Do you think it. . . took your eyes? I think I'll go and see if I can find the thing that took your eyes!" Arme said.

Ryan slumped against me. How did I suddenly get next to him?

"R-R-Ryan. . ." I said softly, crying.

"It's okay. . ." Ryan said, as if I weren't there, and stood up. "S-Sieghart, sir, could you help me to the river?"

"N-No, it's not okay!" I cried out.

"Huh?" Ryan asked.

"Y-You're blind, it's _not_ okay!" I told him.

"I never knew you cared. . ." Ryan muttered. What?

"O-Of course I cared!" I told him. "I love you, Ryan! But. . . it seems you like. . . Vanessa. . . more. . ." I wanted to die.

Sieghart rested a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "C'mon, kid. I'm taking him to the river." Sieghart gave me a questioning look, and it hurt me. . .

"It hurts so much. . ." I whispered. "B-But this. . . It can't be real, can it?"

Sieghart and Ryan disappeared.

"W-Why is this happening?" I asked to no one. Then the scene changed.

Ronan was trying to reach the river, desperately trying to get in, but was held back by Sieghart. Lass was in the water, but he couldn't reach something that was on the bottom. Ryan had drowned himself.

"No!" I screamed. "_Ryan!_"

Lass finally pulled Ryan out of the water, and said, "Arme, can't you do something?!"

"I'm sorry," Arme answered, "but I can't bring back the dead. . ."

"No!" Ronan cried out.

"The kid could have been something of a legend too," Sieghart said softly. "I'm sorry. . . I didn't know he'd do that. . ."

"Why. . ." I whispered. "Why. . .? Why Ryan?!"

Lass touched Ryan's face gently, fear spreading to his own. "Man, having no eyes. . . It's sort of scary. . ."

I closed my eyes tightly. "Whywhywhywhy_why_. . ." I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. . ." No, it _wasn't_ okay!

I screamed. "Please, this h-has to be a dream. . ."

"It's okay, Lire. . ." I heard Lass say. "Don't worry about it. . ."

"No, it's not okay. . ." I replied.

There was a change of light.

I opened my eyes to infinite white.

"W-What's going on?" Then I realized someone was behind me, and turned around to. . . Ryan. He was blind. . .

"R-Ryan?" I called out. He stayed silent.

"Why, Ryan. . ." I asked. "Why did you have to die?!"

"I. . ." Ryan's eyes drifted to the floor. "I can't be with you, Lire, ever. . . I'm sorry it came down to this, but. . ." But what? Why, Ryan? My heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds. . .

"Why?" I whispered so softly, I thought he wouldn't have been able to hear it, but he did.

"Well never be, ever, what you hoped we could be. . ." he told me.

"Why did this have to happen. . ." I whispered to myself, and began to cry again. I was so pathetic. . .

"The truth is that. . ." Ryan continued. "You're too weak. . . I'm sorry. . ." He kicked the "floor" of the white. I looked up in confusion. Wait, _what_?

The surroundings changed again, and so did Ryan's colors. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were full of color. What was going on? Who. . . was this, that replaced Ryan? He looked like him, but. . .

"W-What?" I said.

He crossed his arms and frowned.

"R-Ryan?"

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"Who. . . are you?" I asked.

"Who am I. . .? Isn't it obvious?"

"It's obvious. . . that you aren't Ryan," I said.

He grabbed my hand and held me in the air, so I could see his eyes. They were. . . not Ryan's.

"Look again," he sneered.

"No, you're not the Ryan I know and love," I told him. This couldn't be Ryan. Ryan didn't have sandy-colored hair, he didn't have those markings on his face, and his voice. . . Ryan would never sound so icy like this. . .

He transformed into a wolf of darkness and let loose a roar, squeezing my wrist so tightly. . . I cried out in pain.

The wolf grit his teeth. "Don't you get it?" he growled. "I don't want anything to do with you."

"Because you aren't Ryan," I said, through the pain. Ryan never turned into this. . . this. . . ugly wolf!

"Of course I am. Did you know I did love you once? Did you?" he asked. "Yes. Of course, it's different now." Who was this pretender?

"Of course," I said, "but you aren't Ryan! Who the hell are you?!"

"That's right, I guess I'm not Ryan anymore. . ." he snared. "I'm your worst nightmare. . ." That was it. . . I should've known.

"If you are my worst nightmare," I said, after a small cry of pain, "then this is only a dream. . ."

"A dream you can't escape," the wolf said tauntingly.

"If it's a dream, then I can wake up," I told him.

"No, I won't let you." He grinned a tooth grin, and held me up higher, squeezing me tightly. I held back a cry. "Does this feel like a dream? Does it?!"

"Then. . . I'll make you. . ." I took out an arrow with my free hand and rammed it between the wolf's eyes. "_Go away_!" His eyes widened and dropped me.

"Wh. . . What the. . . hell. . .?" he choked out, then dropped down, changing back to. . . Ryan. . . No, t-that wasn't really Ryan. . . was he?

"Rgh. . . Damn you. . ." he snarled, "Grand Chase girls. . . How dare you. . . ruin my plans. . ." His voice changed, growing mangled and warped. So. . . was this Kaze'aze? Did she invade even my dreaming world?

"Ryan" began to dematerialize.

"_Lire, Arme, Elesis. . . You have to wake up before it's too late. . ._" Sieghart?

I closed my eyes. "Please, someone, help me out of this. . . this nightmare. . ."

"_Ugh, where am I?_" Arme?

The sounds began to come clearer, and I opened my eyes.

"W-Where am I?" I asked. Then I recognized the place, this dreaded castle.

The large, double doors flung open and Kaze'doggeh came out, leading two figures, one of them leaning against the other. I heard Lass say something, but then one spoke.

"Good dog!" Ryan. . .?

"R-Ryan?" I called out weakly.

"Lire!" Ryan cried out happily.

I was back to the waking world again.


	52. Chapter 51: Elesis' Nightmare

**Author's Note**: End of another plot, I estimate three more plots before the end of the story.

--

I opened my eyes.

"Ugh, what's this. . .?" I groaned.

Then I saw myself, and I didn't look so well, and neither did Ronan.

"_Ugh. . ._" myself groaned. Er. . .

"_Uh. . . Are you alright?_" Ronan asked. He wasn't feeling too well himself, but he tried not to show it.

"I remember this. . ." I said to myself.

"_N-No. . ._" and I saw myself fall unconscious, Ronan rushing to my. . . her. . . Er. . . Whatever, to my side.

"_El-Elesis_?!" Ronan cried out, but as soon as he was at my side, he collapsed.

"R-Ronan!" I cried out.

"Sh-She's cursed. . ." Arme said. I am?

"Uh, A-Arme?" Lass called out.

"She's scaring me. . ." Ryan whispered.

"Me too. . ." Lire whispered back.

Soon, Arme was awake. "L-Lass?!" She hugged Lass, tightly. "Lass! Y-You're still alive!"

"Y-Yeah," Lass said, "but Ronan might not be."

"Ronan?!" Arme cried.

Ronan wheezed with each breath. . . I was getting worried.

"Ronan, are you okay?" Arme asked.

"I've. . . never felt. . . so sick. . . in my li. . . life. . ." he croaked.

Then everything blurred, and soon I saw Ronan in the forest, alone, face flushed with fever.

"R-Ronan?" I called out. What was going on?

Ronan covered my mouth as he coughed harshly. He stumbled onwards until he reached a thick tree, and fell to the ground. Alarmed, I ran over to him.

"A-Are you okay?" I asked.

"E. . ." he said, before closing his eyes. Ronan's face was slick with sweat, due to the heat of the fever. . .

I hugged Ronan and told him, "You should t-try and get some rest. . ."

"W. . . at. . . er. . ." he said weakly.

"W-Water? I-I'll go get you some, please wait here!" I told him, and ran off to the nearest source of water I could find. By the time I came back, however, Ronan had departed. I looked around, not seeing him.

"Where did you go. . ." I said to myself.

"Zombie!" Was that Lass?

"Flu alert! Blegh!"

I ran over in the direction of the voices. "What happened?!" I saw that Ronan had fallen over Lass.

"R-Ronan?"

"So heavy. . . Get off!" Lass shouted.

I ran over and pulled Ronan off. He was shivering, as if he were cold. . .

"Ew, ew, ew. . ." I heard Lass complain.

"Ronan, are you okay?" I asked him softly.

"I'm cold. . ." he answered, and I hugged Ronan, tightly.

"Well, apparently, you look very ho-Oh shit, don't go near the light!" Lass shouted.

"Please, don't go. . ." I whispered. I was scared. I was afraid.

"I'm sorry. . ." Ronan wheezed. "I'm sorry I. . . can't protect you. . . anymore. . ." He placed a hand on my cheek. It was deathly cold. . .

"N-No, Ronan. . . please don't go. . ." I begged of him.

"I'll. . . always love you. . ." he whispered to me, as I hugged him, tightly, and began to cry.

"I'm sorry. . . it had to end like this. . ." were his last words before Ronan's body went limp.

"No. . . Ronan. . . Ronan! No!" I cried out, and began to cry uncontrollably, my body shaking from my sobs. "Please, don't go!"

"I'm sorry," Lass said.

"I wish I could've done more. . ." Arme said. "I'm sorry, Elesis. . ."

Then the colors blurred again. I looked up. "W-W-What n-now. . .?"

"Abyss Storm."

A strong wind passed, blowing up debris, and I covered my eyes. "R-Ronan?"

"Why do I have to be a light weight?!" I saw Lass flying by.

"L-Lass?" I looked up.

"_Ronan, what are you doing?!_" Ryan?

"R-Ronan?!" I called out. "Ronan, w-where are you?!" Then I appeared behind Ronan, stripped of his armor, wearing clothes meant for quick traveling.

"R-Ronan?"

He turned around, slowly.

"Y-You're alive!" I was so happy, but then I spoke, against my will. "_Ronan. . . you hate me, don't you. . .?_" What was going on?

"That's why you left us, isn't it?"

Ronan blinked, eyes clearing. "_Elesis, is that you?_"

"R-Ro. . . nan. . .?" I felt a wave of heat spread through me, my condition suddenly becoming bad. Wait, this wasn't right. . .

"A-Ah, I feel so. . . so warm. . . I feel so dizzy. . ." I whispered.

"_Yes, of course it's me. . . I'm the only one with red hair that's this long. . . I'm also the only one that looks close to death at the moment. . ._" I coughed a bit.

"_Elesis, I. . . Never meant. . . Ugh. . ._" He opened his left hand, a ring in it. Then, Ronan began to laugh psychotically. I remember this, though my mind was fuzzy from the heat.

"_I've broken the will of one of the most faithful members of Grand Chase. . . The Royal Guard Master, eh?_"

"K-Kaze'aze?! No, get away from me!" I screamed, and kicked out at Ronan.

"_K-K-Kaze'aze. . . a-again. . ._" Arme stammered.

Ronan caught my foot.

"L-Let me go. . ." I muttered.

"You're in no condition, child." Ronan dropped the ring. "Ronan Erudon's body. . . is mine!"

I reached down and pulled my sword out. "Get. . . away. . . from me!" I snarled, and lashed out. Ronan deflected my sword with his tyrfing, and held the blade to my throat.

"Egh. . ." Ronan uttered, and his head drooped a bit, an aura coming out of him. It was dark blue. "Mhm, ha ha. . ." He knocked me down and turned, gathering force. I let out a cry as I hit the floor, hard.

"Say good-bye to Ronan's soul. . ." he whispered.

"No, Ronan!" Ryan cried out.

"Hey, watch it, Kaze'aze!" Arme said, growling a bit, and attempted to attack Ronan from the side, but he hit her head with the hilt of his tyrfing, hard, knocking Arme to the floor.

Then Ronan turned, and surrounded. . . Ronan's soul. . . with the light, glowing blue of force.

I looked up. "R-Ronan. . ."

"Your body is permanently mine. Ronan Erudon is no more. . ." The force obliterated the dark blue.

"No, _Ronan_!" I cried out.

"Who. . .?" Ronan. . . No, _Kaze'aze_, said.

Why was this happening? Was it just my imagination, playing tricks with me, or was it Kaze'aze, her and her dark magic? But. . . Why. . . Why this?

No, I know. . . It's because Kaze'aze. . . She was trying to break me. . . I bet she was doing this to the others as well.

I tried to stand up, holding my sword.

"Watch out!" Kaze'aze cried out, and pointed at herself. The environment faded into a new scene, of when my father was possessed.

"W-What?" I looked around. "What's going on?"

Ronan kicked father's feet out from under him and stepped on his chest. "_Okay, Kaze'aze. . ._" Father was powerless, it seemed. . .

"R-Ronan?"

Ryan emerged from the bushes. "_Phew_." There was a bump on his head.

"_That's true, Guard Master, but I still have one option. . ._" father said. "_This old rat is still stronger than all of you combined!_" He grabbed Ronan's leg weakly, and twisted it. Ronan cried out in pain, and fell down to his knee and hand.

Lire shot an arrow at father, but he blocked it with Ronan's leg. A wild look spread across his face and he jerked. There was a loud snap, and Ronan fell over in pain.

"R-Ronan!" I cried out. No one seemed to have heard me.

"Are you okay, Ronan?" Lire tried to run over to Ronan, but father grabbed Ronan, and shoved him up against a tree.

"You better back up, or there's going to be some blood splattering over you. . ." father snarled. He held Ronan to the tree with the forearm of his bad hand, and grabbed Ronan's tyrfing with his good hand.

"St-Stop. . ." Ronan groaned.

"No, Ronan!" I tried to run over, but it seemed as if I couldn't even move. No, please don't kill him!

"Let him go!" Lire cried out.

Father pointed the tyrfing at Lire, and then looked at Ronan. "Sad, really, hm? Too bad you were going to call this old rat 'father' some day. Not anymore. . ." He gripped the hilt of the tyrfing tightly and stabbed it through Ronan's stomach. I screamed. I tried to knock my father aside, but I couldn't do anything. . . I simply went through him. . .

"No, Ronan!" Lire cried out, as she shot an arrow at father.

"Gack!" Blood gushed out of Ronan's stomach, and streamed out of his mouth. Father grabbed the arrow, and then twisted the tyrfing, causing Ronan to scream in pain.

"How does it feel," father whispered, "to be so close to certain death?"

"No, Ronan. . ." I cried. "How could you, father?" I began to cry again.

Ronan tried to stand up, but father drew away, and Ronan slumped against the tyrfing buried in his body, growling in pain.

"This time, I won't hesitate to kill you, even if you are the father of my friend!" Arme snarled. She took out her War Staff. Wait. . . no. . .

Ronan gripped the blade of the tyrfing and ripped it out of his stomach, tossing it to the side. He looked down at his hands, then at the hole in his stomach. "It can't end like this. . ." he whispered, just as Arme aimed her staff at father, and let loose a stream of energy.

"Arme, no!" I screamed, as Ryan grabbed Ronan.

Father cried out in pain, as the soul of Kaze'aze left him, leaving his father to fade away. . .

Everything grew hazy as I asked, "Why is this. . . happening. . ."

"I. . . ugh, I don't want to die. . ." Ronan's voice seemed to fade.

"Try to stay with me, I'll try to heal you as soon as I can!" Arme cried out, her voice fading as well.

"It's too late. . ." Ronan whispered.

"It's never too late," Arme told him. Ronan placed a hand on his wound, as his head fell back.

"Crap, no! Ryan, help!" Arme cried out, as Ronan died. . . as everything grew black.

"No, why does it have to be Ronan. . ." I whispered. Just before it all faded, I heard Ryan cry out. I covered my ears.

"I can't take this much longer. . ."

A voice began to echo through my head, as I saw my father, on the ground, bleeding to death. "_Do you want to live? Even if you have to fight forever, and watch everyone that you love, age and die?_"

"Get out of my head. . ." I whispered, as father's voice echoed through mine. "_Yes._"

"I don't want to hear this, "I screamed. "Get out of my head!"

Then my father's body faded away, before reappearing again, standing back-to-back with Ronan. . .

I shut my eyes. "Go away. . ."

"How are you going to get away, Elesis?" my father asked me.

"Are you going to stay here forever?" Ronan asked.

"Or try to defeat the immortal?" father continued.

"I-I can't. . . defeat my father. . ." I answered weakly. "I-I never ha-have been a-able to b-before. . ." I learned to fight from my own father, and he would always win in our practice bouts. . .

"Of course you can't," they both said.

"You're to weak," Ronan said.

"Goawaygoawaygoawayjustleavemethefuckalone," I said, over and over.

"If you want to get stronger, why don't you stop cowering and hiding, and just grow up?" they both asked.

"I-I am not a coward. . ." I retorted.

"Who is it that you see running into battle first?" they asked me.

"You?" Ronan asked.

"Or Ronan?" father asked.

"I-I almost always. . . run into the fight first. . ." I said. It was true, I was so. . . bold? Brave? Foolish? "Like, when we were attacked. . . by the Harpy Queen so long ago. . . I nearly died then. . ."

"_Lire, Arme, Elesis. . . You have to wake up before it's too late. . ._" Who was that?

"W-Wake up?" I called out. "I-Is this just. . . a dream then?" That would explain it then. . .

"Why don't you use your head?" father demanded. "Do you want to be killed first?"

"S-Shut up. . ." I said. "I've been trying to. . ."

"Your father can't always protect you, Elesis," Ronan said.

"I-I know that, I'm not stupid!" I cried out. I was getting angry.

"Neither can your fiancée," father said.

"I. . ." I started. "Just shut up!"

They both laughed. Laughed at me. . .

"Just leave me alone. . ." I muttered. "I know I can't rely on others to protect me. . . That's why I trained myself, day and night, to become the Savior. . ."

"_Ugh, where am I?_" Arme?

"So, are you continuously going to get Ronan to get your pregnant?" father asked. I felt the rage boil inside of me.

"_Shut up!_" I screamed. "That's none of your business! I'll prove to you that I'm strong enough to defend myself. . . by defeating you two!"

"When you're pregnant. . ." Ronan whispered grimly.

"Grand Chase seems to have a weak point," they both finished, then drew their weapons. "Grand Chase doesn't need a weak point." Shut up, shut up, i_shut up_/i! I am i_not_/i a weak point! I am just as strong as everyone else! But. . .

"Grand Chase will always have a weak point. . ." I admitted. "Non one is perfect. . ." I drew both my swords, Ssanggeom. "I can defeat you two misfits though. . . Whoever you are, whatever you are. . . I'll defeat you both on my own!"

They both grinned. "I'd like to see you try.

"_W-Where am I?_"

I gripped the hilts of my swords tightly. "You'll regret it. . ." I muttered, before charging, slashing one sword at each.

_Barking. "Good dog!_"

"_Ryan?_"

"Please, wait for me. . ." I whispered. "If you don't, then I'll just have to chase you guys. . ." I leaped into the air, and began to spin. Flames engulfed my swords, leading up to me.

"What?!" father cried out, and leaped out of the way.

"I'll show you who's the weaklings around here!" I cried out.

Ronan fell to the ground, struck in the chest by the Chaos Savior, his tyrfing sliding to the ground, and disappeared, along with Ronan.

I panted a bit. "One down. . ." I looked over at father. "And one to go."

"You think you can take me on?" he asked a bit arrogantly.

"_Elesis. . . Elesis?!_" Whoever that was, I ignored it. I had to pay attention to my fight.

"Well, old man, at least I'm young!" I taunted, before charging.

"_Elesis, wake up or I'll smite Ronan!_" Just wait, wait for me!

He charged at me.

Leaping into the air, I shouted at him, "I'll defeat you, because you aren't my father!"

"Ragh!" he shouted, and drew his arm back. Jumping up, he met me at my height. I drew my swords together, connecting the hilts and began to spin them.

"Eat this!" as I threw the flaming circle at the fake.

"Rising. . . Rising. . ." He hesitated, then screamed as the flames hit him. His image faded away, his sword falling to the ground.

"You don't even know my father's moves. . ."I muttered, as I landed on my feet clumsily.

The sword and my surroundings began to become clearer.

I groaned. "Now what's happening. . .?"

"_Oh, love. . ._" Ronan. . .? I felt warmness envelop me.

"I feel so. . . weak. . ." I whispered, and closed my eyes, dropping my swords, and fell.


	53. Chapter 52: After the Nightmare

Elesis opened her eyes, and groaned weakly. I was holding her, looking down at her face as she woke up.

"R-Ronan. . . is. . . that you. . .?" she asked weakly. My eyes widened as I hugged her tightly.

"Yeah, it is. . ." I answered softly.

"Good. . ." Elesis whispered. "I. . . don't like fakes. . ." I felt her go limp, and her breathing go slow. Asleep again?

Lass was crying out as he tried to get out of his cage, while Sieghart sat quietly, face content.

"Looks like we're alright," Arme muttered. "But. . . where's that stupid mutt? I'd love to strangle it to death. . ."

Kaze'doggeh was licking Jin's hand desperately, who was passed out.

"Ah, no!" I cried out. "He helped us find our way here!"

"And he was the one who led us to this room, where we were caged and put into a nightmare!" Arme replied.

"That was Kaze'aze! Dogs can't speak!" Lass whined.

"I don't care, I'm never trusting dogs again!" Arme said. She went over to the cage Lass, Sieghart, Jin, and Kaze'doggeh were in, and tried to break it.

Kaze'doggeh let out a laser and broke the bars.

"Free!" Lass cried out.

"This is one reason why I don't trust it. . ." Arme muttered.

Lass jumped out of the cage and embraced Arme. "I knew you'd get out. . ." He kissed the top of her head.

"It was hell, though. . ." Arme muttered.

"I don't want to know," Lass said. "What matters now, is that you're here. . ."

"I don't want to remember it anyway. . ." Arme said, and sat down, Lass sitting and hugging her, tightly.

"Clingy," Sieghart said.

"Lire, how do you feel?" Arme asked, as she placed her head on Lass' shoulder. Sieghart grabbed Jin and walked out. Yeesh.

"Relieved that it was only a dream," Lire answered, as Arme shouted, "Hey, where are you going?! Not again. . ."

"At least he wasn't dragging him," I said, and turned to watch Sieghart leave, then felt a sharp pain in my leg. "Ow!"

"Be careful!" Arme shouted.

"Alright, alright," I said.

"So you three are alright. . ." Ryan said. "What happened?"

"I. . . had a nightmare. . ." Arme answered, hesitantly. "A bad one. . . and I imagine the other two did as well. . ."

Kaze'doggeh yapped a bit, before leaving the room.

"Good riddance," Arme muttered.

"Let's get you guys out. . ." Ryan said, then turned into a wolf.

"I'm a bit worried about Elesis," Lire said. "She seems a bit more worn out than me and Arme." I was worried too. She fell asleep right after she woke up!

"Well, there's room on my back for four," Ryan said.

"That's alright, I'll carry Arme," Lass said.

"I'd rather not ride a wolf anyway. No offense or anything, Ryan," Arme added quickly.

"None taken," Ryan said, then "Okay you three, let's go."

"Uhm, Lire, could you help us?" I asked.

"Sure." Lire came over and helped me and Elesis onto Ryan's back, before getting on herself.

Lass crouched down to let Arme climb onto his back. She held on tightly. Maybe _too_ tightly, as Lass choked a bit, but didn't complain as he held onto her legs and ran out of the room, followed by Ryan.

After awhile. . . "Ow! Couldn't you make the ride a little less bumpy?" I asked.

"This is as good as it gets," Ryan growled.

"Just make sure Elesis doesn't fall off, Ronan," Lire said. Good point. I held onto Elesis tightly. I didn't want to lose her, again. . .

"Lass, am I holding on too tightly?" Arme asked.

"No, it's phi-" Lass started, then jumped over a log, and began to make choking sounds.

"L-Lass?"

He stopped a bit. "Maybe you a-are. . ."

"S-Sorry, Lass," Arme said, and loosened her grip a bit.

"No, it's fine," he said, smiling a bit, and continued. How cute. . .

Soon, I saw the dim light of the entrance. And there was Kaze'doggeh, standing at the entrance, and barked.

"Uh, so?" Ryan asked, and stopped. He understood doggy?

Arme took out her staff. "Move it, or your ass is toast!"

"You can understand i-" Lire started, before letting out a yelp as Kaze'doggeh shot a laser at us. Hey!

Arme shot out a ball of ice at Kaze'doggeh, who melted it with his laser. . . He began to bark wildly, then nearly got hit by Arme's lightning.

Lass walked over to Kaze'doggeh, grabbed Arme's staff, and whacked the doggy on the head with it. Kaze'doggeh let out a yelp.

"What did I say?!" Lass scolded. "You're my boy, now heel!"

Kaze'doggeh sat down.

"No 'buts'!" Lass cried out, and then Kaze'doggeh started. . . crying. Uh. . .

"No, you're not gonna have everything you want, even if you cry!" Lass continued. Arme looked a bit stupefied, as was I. Lire was watching in amazement.

Kaze'doggeh sniffed.

"Pt, don't make me hit you again!" Lass threatened. I almost fell off Ryan.

"Good doggie!" Lass said.

"W-Wow. . ." Lire said. . .

"I. . . still hate. . . that mutt. . ." Arme said, still getting over her shock.

Lass gave back Arme's staff and continued out of the castle. As we passed Kaze'doggeh, he grimaced, a noticeably large lump on its head.

Arme snickered, causing Kaze'doggeh to shoot a laser at Arme's hat, then ran back into the castle.

"Hey! Stupid mutt," Arme growled.

Then I saw Sieghart, Jin on his back, awake.

"What took you so long?" Sieghart asked.

"Nothing," Lass said, as Arme said, "That stupid mutt was giving us some trouble."

"Yeah, well, let's stay near the river and stop to rest there," Sieghart said.

"As long as the piranhas are all gone. . ." Arme muttered. As Sieghart turned, Jin looked back at us, eyes dull, prompting Arme to ask, "Jin, is something wrong?" He turned away. "Fine, ignore me." Arme turned her head, to avoid looking at Jin.

We soon made it to the river.

Sieghart set Jin down and jumped to the other side, leaving us. Again. Lass let Arme down and sat next to the river. Arme joined him and peered into the river. As Lass wrapped an arm around her waist, she dangled a finger into the water.

Meanwhile, Ryan was back to himself again, basking in the sunset. I had been set down near the river, and had my hands in the river, reveling in the coolness of the water. Lire was looking into the river.

"Arme, you think you can help Jin with recovering?" I asked, after a while.

"Fine, fine," Arme said, and walked over to Jin, with her staff in hand. He simply stared as she walked over.

"Jin, close your eyes," Arme told him, and he did so. She waved her staff a bit and began to mutter something, as Lass turned to watch.

"Jin, how do you feel?" she asked after finishing.

"Hm, better," Jin said. "Thank you, Arme."

"No problem. I just wish Kaze'aze wouldn't use you so much," she told him.

Jin sighed. "It can't be helped. . ."

"I have to wonder though, why you? Not that I'm saying you're bad or anything."

"I, myself, do not know." Jin shook his head, and got down onto his stomach.

"I hope all this madness stops soon," Arme said, with a sigh.

"So do I," Jin murmured. Arme pat him gently on the back, then looked over at Elesis, who was asleep against a tree. "I'm a bit worried about Elesis. She hasn't woken up since we've left the castle. . ."

"Is she still in a nightmare?" Jin asked.

"No, no, she's woken up from that," Arme answered. "It may be from exhaustion, but still. . ."

"The nightmare could've worn her out," Jin said. "Mentally. Emotionally."

"I suppose," Arme said, not entirely convinced. "I just hope she's alright. . ."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

"You're right, Elesis is strong. She'll be fine."

"You should get some rest. Y'know. . ."

"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me. . ." Arme contradicted herself by nearly falling over.

"Arme?!" Lass cried out.

"I-I'm fine, just a bit exhausted, is all."

"Come on, sit down."

"I-I'm fine," Arme argued, and tried to walk over to Lass, but collapsed.

"Arme!" Lass cried out, and caught her, and gently set her down. "Get some rest. . ."

"I-I'll be fine. . ." Arme said, weakly. Lass only hugged Arme, as she closed her eyes and fell asleep. He laid down at her side, but didn't fall asleep.

"Yeow!" Lire cried out. I looked over and saw her jumping back, a piranha almost nipping her nose. Wait, I thought Lass got rid of them all.

"Huh? I thought they were all gone!" Lass said.

"Apparently not!" Lire cried out.

"Rah!" Ryan shouted, and whacked a jumping piranha.

Quickly, I pulled my hand out of the water, a small trickle of blood on my finger.

"You get bit?" Lire asked.

". . . Maybe. . ." I answered, putting my gloves on.

Lass turned onto his side, hiding his face, as Lire jabbed an arrow into the water, and pulled out a piranha. Er. . .

"I hope you're not going to eat that. . ." Ryan said.

"Er, no," Lire said, and tossed it back in. The other piranhas began to eat the dead one.

With the help of Ryan, I made my way over to Elesis. "Wonder where Sieghart went?" I asked, as I brushed her hair back.

"Hopefully nowhere where he can get possessed," Lire said.

"I guess. . ." I said.

Lass sighed.

"What's wrong, Lass?" Ryan asked.

"Er, nothing," Lass answered. Ryan threw a seed at him as Lire asked, "Worried 'bout Arme?"

Lass let out a cry as the seed landed on his head, sprouting a flower. "Maybe. . ." He tried to get it off, and soon tossed it into the river. He laid back onto his side.

Arme was soon awake, and groaned. "My head hurts. . ."

"A-Are you alright?" Lass asked as he hugged Arme.

"I'm fine. . ." she answered, hugging him back.

Ryan turned his back to the sunset and sighed.

"Ryan, not you too!" Lire cried.

"Huh?! I'm only concerned for your well-being!" Ryan said. Lire went over and kissed him, and said, "Thanks, but you know I can take care of myself."

"Of course you can, but I'm here to help," Ryan said, kissing Lire back.

"Why thank y-" Lire began, before a piranha almost got to her. She let out a yelp.

"For the love of. . ." Ryan muttered, and caused thistles to sprout from the water. Some piranhas flew out of the river and landed on Lire, Ryan, Lass and I, while others ended up dead.

"Get them off!" Lass yelled, as Arme shocked the ones on Lass with electricity, killing them.

Ryan yanked one out of his hair, tossing it to the ground, as I tried to get one off my cloak. "Nice, Ryan. . ."

"Not my fault! Entirely. . ." Ryan cried out, as Lire threw the piranhas off her. "Okay, sorry. . ." He rubbed his head.

"It's okay," Lire said, "but why did you do that exactly?"

I tossed the piranhas back into the river, and closed my eyes as the moon began to show itself.

"Oh, look, it's a full moon!" Lire exclaimed. I opened my eyes.

"Hm?" Ryan looked up. "Kinda makes me wanna howl."

"Do it, wolfboy!" Lass taunted, as Ryan threw another seed at Lass. He caught it this time. "Hey, he's trying to resort to violence! I could have lost brain cells!"

"It's just a plant!" Lire said, defending Ryan, as he snapped, "What brain cells?" Then he sighed, and looked at the moon. Then Arme stabbed him in the back wit her staff. Lire sighed as Ryan yelled in pain.

"It's. . . so full," Arme said, after awhile.

"Uh, yeah," Ryan said uneasily.

"Too bright," Arme muttered, covering her eyes.

"Go back to sleep," I said, yawning.

"I'm not tired," Arme said, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Besides, Lass looks kinda cold." Ryan stretched a bit, before closing his eyes. "Lire, you should get some rest too." Lire answered by leaning against Ryan, and slept.


	54. Chapter 53: The Full Moon

Lass was still awake.

"Lass, is something wrong?" I asked.

"A-Arme, you're awake?" Lass sounded surprised.

"I felt as if something was wrong, so I woke up," I told him.

"I'm fine, you can go back to sleep," he said. His tone of voice told me he was lying.

"Lass, I know something's wrong, so what is it?" I asked.

Lass turned from me a bit. "I can't go to sleep. . . I'm too afraid. . . The nightmares still haunt me from the back of my mind. . ."

"Oh, Lass," I whispered, as I hugged him tightly. "I wish there was something I could do to help. . ."

"Being here for me is enough. . ." Lass said, turning to me and smiling at me, tiredly.

I kissed Lass. "I'll stay awake, for you."

His eyes widened as I told him that. "Oh, no, you shouldn't stay awake for me. . . I won't be able to sleep for awhile. . ." He sat up, and looked at something. Turning, I saw that Ryan had disappeared.

"It's okay, I'll be fine," I told Lass, turning back to him. "After the long sleep I had. . ."

"Alright. . ." he whispered, and hugged me tightly, for a long while that I wished lasted longer.

Lass' eyes were closed, after awhile though, and after a few minutes, his embrace loosened as he dozed off.

There was a howl in the distance.

"What was that?" I whispered, looking around. I heard it again. Okay, freaking me out, here. . .

"W-What was that?" I hugged Lass tightly; he was snoring.

"Sn. . . Arme. . ." he murmured.

"L-Lass?"

"Nn. . . Love you. . ." He snored some more.

"I-I love you too," I told him, "but you fell asleep. . ." I nudged him. "Wake up. . ."

There was howling again. I let out a loud yelp. "S-S-Stupid wolves!" Then there were numerous howls, and I let out a loud cry.

"What's that?" Ronan was awake.

"I-I-I don't k-know. . ." I answered. "P-Probably just some stupid w-wolves."

"Is it a full moon?" he asked.

"Werewolves?" Were they even real?

"Don't worry, they're most likely not going to come down and eat us or anything," Ronan said, trying to reassure me.

"H-How are you so s-sure?" I asked.

"Um, uh. . ." Ronan thought for a bit. "Well, Ryan hasn't eaten us, has he? Say, where is he?"

I didn't say anything.

"Just don't worry about it." There was a soft thump as Ronan fell back asleep.

"Still scares me. . ." I muttered.

Then I felt Lass lean against me slightly, murmuring in his sleep. I held tightly to him, and tried to fall asleep, but another howl, this time behind us, cause me to nearly scream.

"What was that?" Jin was awake this time. And then. . . I saw a few pairs of eyes, peering out at us from the forest across the river.

I shrieked, then quickly covered my mouth, embarrassed at being so frightened.

Jin stood up.

"J-J-Jin?" I looked over at him. He didn't answer, but a wolf slowly prowled out of the forest, across the river.

I yelled out again, waking Lire up.

"What's with all the yelling. . ." Lire grumbled.

There was a snow-white wolf, probably the leader. It howled loudly, causing Lire to scream, "Wolves!"

"Ugh, who's screaming?" Ronan asked, then he saw. "Wolves?"

"Help! Wolves!" I screamed.

The wolves leaped the river quickly, and began to approach us.

"I advise running!" Jin cried out.

"Where's Ryan?!" Lire cried, worried.

I turned around, ready to run, but saw eyes behind us as well. Crap.

"Wake Lass up!" Ronan told me, as he picked Elesis up.

"Lass, please wake up!" I yelled, but Lass stayed asleep, so I shock Lass with some electricity. He woke up with a yelp, then saw a wolf sniffing at his foot. He screamed, and scrambled to his feet.

"Get away!" I yelled, and kicked the wolf. It skidded back, and began to growl.

"S-Stay away!" I was scared. . .

"I t-think that was a b-bad idea. . ." Lire said. I think she was right. . .

The lead wolf snorted, then growled, as the others growled and began to pace forward.

"I-Is Ryan among t-them?" Lire asked. At first, I was wondering why Ryan would be with some wolves, and then I remembered.

"I-I'm not sure. . ." I answered.

"It's too dark to tell. . ." Ronan said.

The wolves began to growl again. The lead wolf flicked its tail, and the other wolves bared their fangs and lunged.

"Jin! I need you to run and take Elesis with you!" Ronan said quickly. Before Jin could protest, Ronan had given Jin Elesis. Lire jumped. One of the wolves tackled Ronan, as Jin ran from a pursuing wolf.

"Get off!" Lass screamed, as a wolf bit one of his gloves. I whacked at the wolf, shouting, "Get off!"

And then, one jumped onto my back and dug its claws and fangs into my shoulder and back. I cried out in pain, and fell over from the wolf's weight, and lost consciousness.

--

No, Arme!

Ronan cried out, and I noticed three wolves were attacking Ronan.

"Arme!" I cried out, as I drew my nodachi. How dare these mangy mutts!

"No, Arme!" I saw an arrow nearly hit the leader wolf, but it had dodged, then jumped at Lire. She yelped and then leaped across the river. However, there were wolves on that side as well.

Some tumbled out of the woods, looking a bit beat up. The leader wolf leaped over a strange-looking wolf that had appeared, gauntlets on its limbs. Meanwhile, there was a wolf on my left arm, and one gnawing on my legs.

"R-Ryan?" Lire called. Wait, Ryan?!

If that was really Ryan, he snarled at the leader wolf. What was up with Ryan's eyes? They looked. . . odd. . .

The leader wolf narrowed its eyes, and barked, seemingly at the Ryan wolf. He let loose a series of savage snarls, seeming to alarm the leader wolf. It howled, and the other wolves moved towards it, in submission. Meanwhile, Ryan came over and began to sniff at some of us.

"Mangy. . . wolves. . ." Arme groaned weakly. Arme! I ran over to her, holding my side, and tried my best to keep her safe.

"Ryan?!" Ronan's eyes widened. "What's happened to you?!"

"That look in his eyes. . ." I said. "That means. . . he's gone feral. . ."

"No!" Lire cried out, on our side of the river again.

Ryan turned and growled at the leader wolf, but it snarled back, then leaped at Ryan. They fought for a bit, but in the end, Ryan won. He ended it with a bite to the leader's neck, who then howled. Alarmed, the other wolves of that wolf's pack tackled Ryan away. Then the leader wolf skidded to the ground, and then began to glow. Its form began to shift into that like. . . a human.

It was Sieghart.

Some of the wolves growled a bit.

"Gagh. . ." Sieghart groaned. "Stupid. . . fucking werewolves. . ."

"S-Sieghart?" Lire looked really surprised. Then again, all of us were.

Sieghart grabbed something that was on his hand, yanked it off, and tossed it into the river before looking at Lire. "What."

"You were a wolf?!" Lire asked.

"I don't remember," Sieghart answered. "I have a horrible headache and a sudden craving for raw meat, but I think that's natural." Right. . . "In other cases, those stupid werewolves slipped some kind of ring on me, hoping I'd be their leader. They have a good sense of who's a good leader around here." He nodded.

Then Ryan jumped on Sieghart.

"Ryan!" Lire cried.

Surprised, Sieghart hit Ryan on the back of his head, prompting Lire to cry out, "Don't hurt him!"

"Won't matter if we don't get him back to normal by sunrise," Sieghart told her, then proceeded to toss Ryan into the river, as Lire said, "What?!"

"Anyways," Sieghart continued, "Ryan will stay 'wild' if he doesn't snap out of it. . ."

"No, Ryan!"

"Uh, yeah, Ryan. . ." Sieghart started. Then Ryan jumped onto Sieghart's back, and bit the back of his neck.

"Stupid dog!" Sieghart yelled, then grabbed Ryan by the neck and threw him to the ground.

"How do we snap him out of it?" I asked.

"Well, first of all-" Sieghart began, before wolves attacked him. He was tackled into the river.

"Arme, zap the water!" Sieghart choked out, as he gasped for air.

"I-I'll try. . ." Arme said weakly. Helping her over to the water, she stuck her staff into the water and shocked Sieghart, Ryan, and the wolves. Most of the wolves turned into humans, while others stayed the same. Then Arme collapsed. How stupid of me. . . I hadn't realized she had lost so much blood!

"No, Arme!" I cried out, and held her close to me.

"Stop the bleeding!" Lire told me, as Sieghart stumbled out of the river. I took my cloak off and hesitated a bit, before I turned her over and lifted up her shirt, blushing slightly. I wrapped my cloak around Arme tightly, hoping to stop the bleeding.

"Ugh, Lire. . ." Sieghart fell to the ground, face first, then mumbled, "Get the extra gauntlet. . . on his back. . ." and passed out.

Lire looked hesitant, then began to approach Ryan. "R-Ryan, it's me. . . Remember?"

Ignoring her, Ryan jumped past, at the weakened Ronan.

"No!" Lire cried out, as she rammed into Ryan. He tumbled onto his side as Lire grabbed one of the gauntlets. Ryan kicked her away as it slid off. Nothing happened. Wrong one.

Lire landed onto her back with a heavy thud as Ryan jumped on her, causing her to shriek. Ryan's jaws opened, saliva dripping out.

"Watch out!" I yelled, and threw a kunai at Ryan. It struck him on the neck, and he growled, tumbling backwards. Lire started to cry a bit.

"Don't just stand there!" I told her.

"I. . . I. . ." Lire started, then lunged at Ryan. He turned, and Lire grabbed one of the back gauntlets. I noticed another one, yellow, on the ride side that Lire had grabbed, but she took the green one instead.

"L-Lass, help me!" Lire cried out. "Someone!"

"I wish my leg wasn't lame. . ." Ronan grumbled as I said, "Alright. . ." Setting Arme down carefully and kissing her gently, I made my way over to Ryan.

Lire jumped at Ryan again. He charged, but I leaped onto him, holding our feral friend down tightly. "Gotcha!"

As Lire grabbed the yellow gauntlet, Ryan snarled and flailed. Yelping, Lire immediately moved back, pulling the gauntlet with her. Ryan growled once more, but his eyes faded back to their more sane, human, normal look.

"Ryan?" Lire approached a bit slowly. Ryan let out a groan as he turned back to normal, and I let him go.

"My head. . . it hurts. . ." Ryan groaned.

Immediately, Lire ran over to Ryan, hugging him. "Ryan! You're back!" She started to cry.

"W-What?" Ryan looked confused.

"I was afraid you'd lose you forever!" she said.

"Lire, what's wrong?" Ryan asked. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," I said with a sigh. "But, to cut it short, you almost ate us all! Whoo."

"It was terrible," Lire said. "A bunch of wolves attacked us, and then one of them bit Arme in the back and she lost a lot of blood and the wolf leader turned into Sieghart and then a bunch of wolves fell into the water and turned out to be human and Sieghart said if you didn't turn back to normal you'd be a wolf forever!"

". . . Huh?" Ryan was really confused now. "Oh, Lire. . ." He hugged her tightly, kissing her. "Don't cry. . ."

"I was so scared you'd be gone forever!" Lire cried.

"But I'm not. . ." he said. "Smile. . . It makes you look even more beautiful. . ." Ryan wiped away her tears. Smiling a bit, Lire hugged Ryan. Whoo, happy ending.

I walked over to Arme.


	55. Chapter 54: Morning

**Author's Note**: Dunno why this chapter's so short.

--

I still wasn't too sure what happened, but I was glad I was back to normal again. All I remembered was how bright the moon was, and then, Lire was crying. . .

I watched as Lass walk over to Arme.

"L-Lass, how's Arme?" Lire asked, with a sniff.

"The bleeding's s-stop. . ." Lass answered.

"T-That's good. . . at least," Lire said.

Lass picked Arme up, holding her in his arms. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to protect you. . . Oh, Arme. . ."

I think I saw Arme move a bit.

"Arme. . .?"

"L. . . Lass. . .?" I heard Arme say, in a very small voice. Who knows how I could hear her. Maybe it's because of how long I was probably in wolf form. . .

"Arme, are you alright?" Lass asked softly.

"I. . . think. . ." Arme answered.

"Good. . ." Lass held her, tightly.

"I feel. . . so lightheaded. . ." Arme whispered.

Lass looked worried. "You passed out from blood loss. . ."

"I-I did. . .?"

"Y-Yeah. . ."

"That. . . explains. . . why I. . . feel so. . . dizzy. . ."

Lass frowned.

"Something. . . wrong. . .?" Arme asked.

"You're my world. . ." Lass said, kissing Arme. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. . . I'm sorry. . ."

"It's. . . okay. . . not. . . your fault. . ."

Lass just closed his eyes and sighed. Arme closed her eyes as well, and she seemed to be asleep. Setting her down gently, Lass laid down beside her, forgetting about his own wounds.

"Are you okay, Lass?" Lire asked.

"I'm alright. . ." Lass answered, before he was asleep as well.

"I think. . ." I said, groaning a bit. "I'm gonna go to sleep. . . too. . ." I felt a sharp pain in my leg, so bad. . . I think I passed out.

--

Ryan went limp.

"Ryan!" I cried out. I was about to do something, anything, but Ronan asked me to go find Jin. I wanted to protest, but he quickly added that Ryan would be alright now, since he wasn't a wolf anymore.

As soon as I made sure Ronan would stay to protect Ryan, I went off in search of Jin.

I soon found him near a river, Elesis lying on the ground nearby.

"Jin!" I cried out. He turned in my direction. "Are the wolves gone?"

"Pretty much, yeah," I told him.

"Alright," he said, and picked Elesis up and walked back to where the others were. I followed.

"Has she not woken up yet?" I asked, looking at Elesis. She seemed. . . too peaceful. . . But she wasn't dead. . . at least.

"Hm?" Jin had noticed Sieghart. "Oh, no. . ."

"I hope she wakes up soon," I said, with a sigh.

"Ronan must be worried. . ." Jin murmured.

"I hope Arme's alright, too," I said, sitting down near Ryan. He seemed to be dreaming about the moon. . . I looked up at it, silently cursing it.

"Bad luck," Ronan grumbled.

"I wonder if it's an omen. . ." I wondered.

"Thank you, Jin." Jin had set Elesis down next to Ronan. I decided to go to sleep.

I woke up again, but closed my eyes against the sun. Too bright. . . I decided to just listen to the others for awhile.

"My head. . . hurts. . ." I heard Arme say.

"Arme. . ." Lass sounded worried.

"Lass. . . Good. . . morning. . ."

"I was so worried. . ."

"Don't worry. . . I'm. . . fine."

"Good. . ."

Some clumsy footsteps.

"Are. . . you okay, Lass?"

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me."

"I. . . want to worry. . . about you. . ."

A groan. Sounded like Ronan.

"Elesis, wake up. . ." Another groan, this time, sounding like Elesis.

"You shouldn't move too much! You're injured. . ." Lass, worried about Arme.

"I'll. . . be fine. . ." Some coughing. Was Arme sick?

"Nnn. . ." Lass sounded worried.

"I'll be. . . fine. . . Promise. . ."

"Alright. . . But if you break your promise, you'll have to be my personal maid!"

"Uh. . ."

"You won't have to if you're going to fine. . ."

"Don't worry. . . I will. . . be. . ."

"Good."

I decided to try opening my eyes then. The sun was still bright, but I kept my eyes opened this time, and rubbed the sleep out of them. When I pulled my hands away, I saw Lass setting Arme onto the ground, and checked the bandages that were on her shoulder. Guess someone bandaged her overnight.

"I don't know how I'll get the blood out of my cloak. . ." Lass said.

Arme began to squirm a bit in her sleep.

"Hm?" Lass decided to check the bandages on her back, and lifted up her shirt a bit. I saw that he was blushing, and I resisted the urge to laugh a bit.

Arme seemed to say something in her sleep, and kept squirming.

"H-Huh. . ." Lass tried to hold her down gently, and Arme soon stopped. Lass sighed, as Arme said something else.

"Huh?" Lass tried to listen, but Arme stopped. Lass sighed again, a bit annoyed, then looked at the others. He seemed surprised a bit when he saw me, but kept his gaze moving. I followed it for a bit, then noticed Sieghart missing.

"Great, he's gone again!" Lass grumbled.

"Where's Sieghart?" I asked.

"Wasn't here when I woke up," Lass muttered. "And the werewolves are gone. Minus Ryan."

"Thank goodness those wolves left, without Ryan," I said. "But that's not good that Sieghart went missing."

"I'll go look for Sieghart," I said, with a sigh.

"Alright, be careful," Lass said. "Ryan wouldn't want you to get eaten by wolves." I let out a nervous laugh as I began to walk off, then tripped over someone's leg.

I heard some grumbling.

"Jin?"

"Hm?"

"Hey, have you seen Sieghart?" I asked him.

"Uh, no," Jin answered. "Not since early this morning."

"Great. . . I'm looking for him right now." I was getting annoyed.

"He's gone?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, he was missing this morning," I told him.

"Do you want help?" Jin offered, standing up.

"If you could, please and thanks." I started off again, and began to call out Sieghart's name.

We kept searching for at least an hour.


	56. Chapter 55: Gray

"Where the hell is he?!" Lire asked to no one in particular, obviously angry. I was feeling tired. . .

Lire sat down at the base of a tree, sighing. I leaned against it, wiping the sweat away from my forehead.

"An hour of searching," Lire complained, "and nothing to show for it!" I sighed in agreement.

"I guess we should head back. . . after a bit a of rest," Lire said. I nodded, my breath coming out quick.

Lire looked up at the sun. "Is it me or is it really warm today?" she asked.

"Is it not supposed to be?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's getting close to winter."

"Hm, that's a good point." Maybe it was just a warm winter.

Lire got up. "The river was cooler, let's go." She began to head back. I followed, but kept my gaze on the ground the whole time, my mind sorting through my thoughts.

"Jin, is something wrong?" Lire asked, after awhile.

I sighed. "No. . ." I began to walk ahead of her.

"It seems like it. . ." Lire murmured, but I didn't say anything.

When we got back, Ronan asked, "Did you find him?"

"No," Lire answered, then sat near the river, splashing water onto her face. I just sat near the river, silent.

"Hey Ronan, how's Elesis?" Lire asked.

"Uh. . ." Ronan looked discouraged. Lire sighed. "I wish she would wake up soon. . ."

Not answering, Ronan brushed some of Elesis' hair back. She let out a small sound.

"Elesis. . ." Ronan looked so sad. I wonder if they all forgot yet?

"Hopefully, she'll wake up soon," Arme said, "or. . ." She sighed, stopping.

"Or. . .?" Ronan prompted.

"No. . . I don't want to worry you."

"Please, Arme, tell me. . ."

"But Ronan. . . This will, perhaps, upset you a bit."

Ronan frowned, and shouted in frustration, "Tell me!"

"F-Fine!" Arme said, startled. "If she doesn't wake up soon, Elesis could die."

Now Ronan looked angry, and he got up and walked away.

Arme sighed. "That's why I didn't want to say anything. . ."

I then noticed she had some ice around her.

Lass, meanwhile, was in the river, floating. "Sooooo hooooot." Then, after awhile, "Hothothot."

"Yes, it's unusually hot. . ." Ryan muttered.

"Arme, can't you like, hide the sun or something?" Lire asked, panting.

"I can't do that," Arme said. "It's not like I can control the weather or anything!"

"You can do meteors!" Ryan said, complaining. "Can't you just cast a blizzard or something?"

"That ain't weather, stupid!" Arme snapped. I think she was referring to the meteors.

"Blizzard is!" Ryan snapped back.

"I would if I had my lamp!"

"Where is it?" Ryan asked.

"Not sure," Arme answered.

"Great. . ."

"I suppose I'll have to buy one if we find a town," Arme said.

"Whee. . . crowds. . ." Ryan grumbled.

"It's also a good chance to get some supplies, too. We're running out of bandages." Good point, I suppose.

"Whee," Lass said. He began to grumble, then sank.

"Lass!" Arme cried out.

"Oh gr-Lass!" Lire shouted, and jumped into the river. She soon came back out, dragging Lass up. "Lass, are you okay?!" He didn't answer; he had passed out. I wonder if he passed out. . .

Lire dragged Lass over to Arme, who was shouting, "Lass! Lass! Are you okay?!"

"Is he okay?" Ryan asked, as Arme hugged Lass tightly.

"D-Do we need to perform, uh, CPR?" Lire asked.

"Uh, I d-dunno. . ." Arme answered. Wasn't she supposed to be a medical genius or something?

"He looks. . . kinda blue," Ryan pointed out.

"Heimlich!" Lire shouted. "Do the Heimlich or something! Ryan!"

"What?! Me?!" Ryan began to protest. "Oh, whatever, fine!"

"You're strong!" Lire said.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Ryan replied, but he picked Lass up anyway and began to perform the Heimlich.

"Well, it's not like Arme can do it right now!" Lire told him.

After a few tries, water spurted from Lass' mouth. He coughed a bit.

Lire got sprayed a bit. "Ew!"

"Are you okay?" Arme asked, hugging Lass.

"Oh, yeah. . ." Lass said, a bit weakly.

"Maybe we should go in the woods?" Ryan suggested. "Besides, Lass could lose his paleness."

"I'm not pale!" Lass said, at the same time Arme said, "He's not pale!" I sighed.

"Are so," Ryan said.

Arme took out her staff.

"Uhm, let's go!" Lire said, then walked into the woods. Ryan ran after her.

"C'mon. . ." Arme said, helping Lass up. He nodded slightly and got up, picked up his clothes, and got dressed along the way to the forest. As the two walked, Arme stumbled a bit, catching herself on Lass' arm. He held onto Arme, smiling a bit.

"S-Sorry, Lass," Arme said.

"That's fine," Lass told her.

After awhile of walking, we were in a shaded area. I stayed behind a bit, in the bushes.

Arme sat down under a tree. Lass sat next to her, looking a bit sleepy, but he tried not to show it.

"Lass, are you tired?" Arme asked.

"Uh, kind of," Lass told her.

"Well, I hope you don't have many nightmares. . . when you fall asleep," Arme told him, leaning against him, before falling asleep. Lass closed his eyes halfway, an arm around Arme's waist.

"It's so hot. . ." Lire complained, looking up past the leaves.

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Wonder why?"

"Who knows, but we should find a town, like Arme was talking about earlier."

"I guess."

I came out then, not enjoying the prickly branches poking into me.

"Hey, Jin," Lire said. I just glanced over at her, and she sighed.

"We should get moving soon," Lire said to me. I knew that.

"And find Ronan," Ryan said.

"Wait, Ronan disappeared?"

"Yeah, he ran off after Arme told him what would happen if Elesis didn't wake up."

"I thought he would've been back by now."

"Doesn't seem he is."

"Great. . ." Lire stood up. "I'm going to look for Ronan." She headed off.

Ryan stood up, trying to follow her, but he stumbled instead. I helped him sit up. "Take it easy. . ."

I wonder what would happen if one of us didn't wake up? Or come back?

--

"Why didn't Ronan come back. . ." I muttered. "I mean, isn't he worried about Elesis?!"

"He must get it from me," someone answered.

"Who's there?" I called out, looking around. "Sieghart?"

He swung down from the canopy. "The one and only."

"Where the hell have you been?!" I demanded.

"I left to let out some steam, that's all," he answered, though by the sound of his voice, I could tell he was hiding something from me.

"Uh-huh, sure you were," I said. "And you left your daughter alone and unprotected."

"Ronan was with her," Sieghart told me. "He's able to protect her. Besides, if you guys didn't protect her, what kind of team would you be?"

"Still, aren't you worried about her?" I asked. He crossed his arms, so I continued. "Besides, Ronan's missing now."

"Yes, yes, I heard you. Wouldn't mind if I tagged along, would you?" Sieghart asked.

"Of course not, the more the merrier," I said. At least, I hoped it would be merrier.

"Alright then." Sieghart turned, his cloak hitting me in the face.

"Watch it!" I snapped. He just kept walking. Hmph.

"Ronan. Ronan!" Sieghart called. "Erudon?!"

"Ronan! Please, where are you?" I sighed. "We'll never find him. . ."

"Oh, we will. . ." Sieghart said.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Trust me, we will." I didn't exactly trust Sieghart. But I only said, "If you're sure. . ."

We soon came to a wall of stone. I tried to look over it. Sieghart kicked it, and it broke into two. One side fell over.

"Ow!" someone shouted.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Why don't we check?" Sieghart said. He kicked the other half over.

"You first, Sieghart," I said.

"Cut it-you!" That sounded like. . . Ronan.

Sieghart went around the wall, with me closely behind, and I saw that Ronan was trying to get a half of the wall off of him.

"Ronan! What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Some weird people left me here," Ronan said, his cloak nailed to the wall.

"Like who?"

"I don't know!"

"Well, let's get you unstuck," I said. "Then let's head back, we might be going soon."

"Where?" Ronan asked, as Sieghart yanked the nail out.

"Uhm, a town," I told him. "To stock up on supplies. And, perhaps, to get a good rest."

"That doesn't sound bad," Ronan said.

"And then there's the fact you went off without Elesis," I continued. "What if she woke up and found you missing?" Ronan looked down, a bit upset at what I said.

"C'mon, let's go."

"Uh, help?"

"Right. . ." Sieghart wrapped an arm around Ronan's torso and hoisted him up, carrying him like. . . a bundle of logs. Or something.

"I feel weak now," Ronan grumbled.

I lead the way back.

"Oh, you found Sieghart!" Ryan exclaimed when we came back. "And Ronan, too."

"Yeah, Ronan was nailed to a stone wall," I explained. Then added hastily, "I mean his cloak was."

Lass looked over at us through eyes half opened. "Odd way to carry a crippled guy." He yawned.

"If my leg weren't crippled, I'm sure I would have been fine," Ronan said. Then Sieghart dropped Ronan, who let out a cry of pain, and went over to Lass and struck him on the back of the head with the hilt of the sword. Lass passed out.

"Sieghart!" I cried.

"He looked tired," Sieghart explained.

"Didn't have to knock him out like that!" I protested.

"Sure I did." He crossed his arms, frowning. "He would have gone to sleep in fear if I didn't."

Cringing, Ryan said, "I'm not tired."

"I am," Sieghart said, with a shrug, and headed to the trees.

Ronan turned over and fell asleep where he was, tired. He called out Elesis' name in his sleep a bit.

I decided that, seeing as how I wasn't tired, I would try and wake Elesis up. I nudged her in the side and said, "C'mon, wake up."

"Maybe she'd wake up if we put some cold water on her face?" Ryan suggested.

"Maybe," I said. "Or stick some ice down her shirt."

"Maybe if Arme were awake," Ryan muttered.

"I'll get some water from the river," I said, and ran off to the river. I came back quickly, some water in my hands, and splashed it onto Elesis' face. Ryan poked her. She stirred slightly.

"Wake up!" I shouted, as Ryan prodded Elesis with the end of his scythe.

She shoved the scythe away, weakly, and opened one eye, very slightly. She was waking up!

"Hey! Elesis?!" Ryan cried out.

"Leave me 'lone," she muttered.

"What?! Hey, no!" Ryan poked her again.

"Leave me. . . alone. . ." Elesis complained.

"Wake up!"

"Go. . . away. . ." Elesis sat up a bit.

"How about now?" Ryan said, then tossed a seed at her. she threw it away.

Ryan began to shake her. "Wake up!"

"I'm 'wake!" Elesis grumbled. "Leave me 'lone. . ."

"I don't believe you!" Ryan shouted. "Come on, wake up _fully_!"

Elesis opened her eyes, very slightly, as if it were an effort just to open them. I could hardly see her eyes.

"Hey! Wider!" Ryan protested.

"I'm tired. . ." Elesis lowered her head. "Leave me 'lone. . ." Geez, what was wrong with her? I mean. . . Really.

"Oh, c'mon!" I cried out, as Ryan let out a cry of frustration.

"Hmph. . ." Elesis covered her face from our view. Ryan growled.

"Uhm, Elesis, look at us." Well, it was worth a shot.

"Can't. . ." she mumbled.

"Why?" I asked.

"Tired. . ." Elesis answered.

"Oi!" I cried out, frustrated.

"And we're tired of this!" Ryan said, with a groan.

"Then let me sleep. . ." Elesis muttered.

"No!" Ryan shouted. "You gotta wake up!"

"Why?" Elesis asked.

"Something bad might happen if you do!" he said.

"And what's that?"

"You'll die!"

Elesis hesitated. "No. . . I won't. . ."

"She would only die because she wouldn't be able to eat. . ." I whispered to Ryan. "I asked Arme about that."

"Yeah, you will! Don't you remember about Lass!" Ryan said to Elesis. Then he grumbled, "If she doesn't wake up, I'll stuff food down her throat!"

"Ryan!" What if he choked her!"

"I'll be fine. . ." Elesis grumbled, as if she didn't hear us.

"No you won't!" Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup!" Ryan sounded. . . desperate?

"I'm awake. . ." Elesis told him.

"Gah, no you won't!" Ryan yelled.

"I'm just. . . so tired. . ." She did look so tired, but she slept for a long time!

"Maybe we should dunk her in water. . ." Ryan grumbled. I nodded.

"Don't. . ." Elesis groaned. "I can't swim. . ."

"Don't worry, you'll only be in there for a few seconds," Ryan told her.

After a few minutes. . .

"Well, did it work?" I asked. Ryan looked over at Elesis, who was coughing a bit, her eyes tightly shut. He sighed.

"Aren't you. . ." Elesis coughed. "Happy enough I'm awake at least?" She coughed again. Maybe we held her down there for _too_ long.

"Maaaybe," Ryan told her.

"Then quit trying to drown me," Elesis muttered. "You're lucky. . . I'm feeling weak right now." She looked over at Ryan, but he wasn't looking at her. If he was, Ryan would've seen how lifeless, how gray, Elesis' eyes were.

"Maybe you should check on Ronan. . ." Ryan suggested.

"E-Elesis, your eyes?" I tried not to show how scared I was.

"Hm?"

"Ho-wait, you're right," Ryan said, having looked over now. "Creepy."

"They look so lifeless. . ." I said. "Usually, your eyes make me think of fire. . ." Sometimes, I felt as if they could consume a forest.

Elesis looked away. "I'm fine. . . just tired." I didn't believe her.

"Sieghart won't be pleased. . ." Ryan muttered.

"It's just because I'm asleep," Elesis told him. "I'll be fine after some rest."

"What're we gonna do about this?" Ryan asked me, scratching his head. "Don't think Ronan will be too happy about this either, really."

"Like I said, I'll be fine. . ." Elesis muttered.

"Fine, fine," Ryan said, not believing her. "When are we taking off for town?"

"When Sieghart comes back?" I answered.

"So we're just going to wait?"

"We could call for Sieghart," I suggested.

"Nah, Ronan, and maybe Lass, are trying to sleep," Ryan said.

"Well, we can search, then." Again.

"Up there?" Ryan looked up to the canopy.

"Well, you've lived in the forest before," I pointed out. "Plus, I can just jump into there."

"Alright then," Ryan said. "Let's split up."

I picked up my bow. "Let's just hope we find him soon. Elesis, stay here."

"Where would I go off to?" she asked me.

"Well. . ." I wasn't sure. "I'm just saying." Then I jumped into the trees.


	57. Chapter 56: Wake Up

I itched a bit, like always, as I morphed into a wolf. I nodded to Elesis, before I used my claws to climb up into a tree. There was Lire, a tree away. She continued to climb, so I followed her.

As soon as she reached the scenery, she let out a loud cry. "Whoo, that's tall!" I popped my head out and gazed up at the sky, before looking back down.

"I like the Elven Forest better. . ." I grumbled. It was much more peaceful, beautiful, and. . . familiar.

"Sieghart?!" Lire yelled. "Where are you?!" Suddenly, a crow flied out, right in front of Lire! Quickly, I leaped out and caught it in my jaws as Lire let out a yelp.

"Is that crow?" Lire asked. I looked over at her, then held it down in my paws. "I guess it is."

"Well, at least it didn't get to me. . ." She looked around for Sieghart. "Where is that old man, anyway?"

I let the crow free. It let out a single caw before it flew off.

"Sieghart!" Lire yelled again. "Where are you?! Something may be wrong with Elesis!"

"Maybe he's-" I began, before I saw a tree fall down.

"Uh, huh?" I said instead.

"Uh, let's go check that out?" Lire suggested. I nodded, and leaped onto a few trees ahead, but then, all of a sudden, the tree under me collapsed.

"What did you say?!" someone yelled.

"Ryan!" Lire shouted, as I turned back to normal and began to fall. She grabbed my hand in time, though I had to wonder how she caught up to me so quickly!

"Don't fall!" she cried. Well, that's what I was trying not to do, right?

Then a hand popped out from underneath and grabbed my foot.

"Get off get off," I shouted, shaking my food. Lire stabbed an arrow into the hand. "Let go of him!"

Whoever it was let out a cry of pain. "I don't need another arrow wound, stupid girl!" Suddenly, another hand, from the same person, grabbed me and pulled themselves up. Oh crap, it was Sieghart!

"Then don't just grab Ryan like that!" Lire shouted at him, who just glared at her. "Do you have a death wish?"

"No, but don't do that, you scared me," Lire told him. "I thought you were a monster. . ."

"Do monsters usually have hands?" Sieghart asked.

"Technically, yes," Lire answered.

Sieghart got over to a branch near us, as I pulled myself up onto the branch Lire was on. Sieghart yanked the arrow out.

Lire sighed. "Why are you hiding out here in the canopy anyway?"

"With thumbs and a sexy voice like mine?" Sieghart said to himself. Conceited much? Then, "Huh? Why? I don't like being under trees. Not in the night, that is." Then he sighed, and began wrapping some gauze around his hand.

"But it's broad daylight," Lire pointed out.

"Yeah, but. . ." Sieghart began, then coughed. "Never mind."

"Well, uhm, we need to get moving," Lire said.

"How's my, er, how's Elesis?" he asked.

"Uhm. . ." Lire hesitated.

"Lire. . ." Sieghart said, in that tone of voice a father would use in a scolding. Except, Lire wasn't his child.

"W-Well, nothing's wrong!" Lire said. "It's just. . . her eyes." That wasn't enough for Sieghart.

"Tell me!" He nearly shouted.

"It's just her eyes, is all!" Lire cried. "They. . . look kinda odd, but Elesis says they'll be fine after some rest!"

"'Some' rest? Sorry, do you not remember that she was asleep ever since we got back from the damned dog's castle?"

"Well, it probably wasn't a very restful sleep!"

"Whatever. . ." Sieghart grumbled. "Where are we going?"

"Well, Arme suggested heading to a small town to rest up and resupply," Lire told him.

"Fine by me." Sieghart slid down to the ground, while Lire jumped down. I followed, but then my foot got caught on a branch, and my sight went upside-down.

"Ryan?" I heard Lire's voice call from below.

"Up. . . here. . ." I squeaked.

"Ryan!" I think she spotted me.

"Boy, this is no time for playing around!" Sieghart scolded.

I saw a blur go by, then the branch shook. A loud snap, and I was falling. I landed clumsily. "Thanks. . ."I said shakily.

Lire landed next to me. "You okay?" I nodded.

"I'm glad. . ." Lire looked around. "We better get back. . . I'm worried Elesis might not have listened to me and ran off."

Well, that'd be like her.

"Aw, don't worry," I said.

It didn't take long to walk back. In fact, it seemed like only a minute before I tripped over Lass.

"At least she stayed. . ." Lire said. I looked up and saw Elesis, asleep. Again.

"Hope she doesn't stay asleep for too long. . ." I said.

No sooner than I said that, Elesis started to wake up.

Then I saw Sieghart over at Ronan. "Hey, stupid son-in-law, wake up." He kicked Ronan's head.

"Maybe you should just let him sleep," Lire said.

"I'll kill you if you don't wake up," Sieghart said, having ignored Lire.

"Sieghart!" Lire cried out.

"What?" Sieghart looked at Lire.

"Don't kill him, geez!"

Probably on purpose, Sieghart stepped on Ronan's bad leg. He sat up, and cried out in pain. "What the hel-Sieghart?!"

"So now you're awake," Sieghart stated.

"Obviously," Ronan said, grumbling. "I don't need your help getting up. Especially if you're going to step on my leg, that _you_ broke in the first place." He shoved Sieghart off.

"What, you're saying that it's my fault?" Sieghart asked, looking a bit annoyed.

"Hah, yeah!" Ronan answered. "If you could control yourself, then maybe, just maybe, I would be spared of a broken bone." I could tell Ronan was fuming.

However, he apparently got to Sieghart. He grabbed his sword, and held it to the back of Ronan's neck.

"Don't push it, Ronan. . ." Lire whispered.

I could see his eyes boiling over with emotion, as he looked at Lire. His face was unreadable. Not saying anything, he stood up and pushed the sword away.

Lire decided to try waking up Elesis. She was answered with another "Go 'way" like before.

"Maaybee I can take her for a dip again. . ." I grumbled.

"Come again?" Ronan asked.

"Oh, nothing," I said.

"The river's nearby," Lire said.

"I'll be back," I told Ronan, then grabbed Elesis.

"Hey?!" Sieghart said, confused. Ronan tried to get over, but he fell.

"Sorry, guys!" I said, and ran to the river.

"Get back here!" I heard Sieghart yell, and chased me.

I was followed more swiftly by Lire.

"Bwaha!" I cried out when I reached the river, and dipped Elesis in the river.

"Bastard!" came from behind me. Crap! I saw the river rush up to me as I was shoved from behind, just as Elesis woke up. She looked surprised. I lost my grip on her.

"Hey wha-" Elesis began, before falling in.

"Oh crap," Lire said from above my head.

"Hey, can she swim?!" I asked desperately, treading water.

"Uhm, no, remember?!" Lire answered. Augh, Sieghart!

"Elesis!" he cried, and jumped in after. Sieghart soon surfaced, Elesis in tow. Her eyes were shut tightly, as she coughed up some water.

As I climbed out, Sieghart set Elesis down on the ground, the both of them soaked.

Elesis groaned. "Why won't you just let me sleep. . ."

"But, you slept a long while already," Lire told her.

"I'm tired. . ." she grumbled. "Just leave me alone. . ."

Sieghart looked up at the sky, and shouted his daughter's name. Then he looked down again after she let out a questioning sound. He turned her head towards him.

"Come on, open your eyes. . ." Sieghart said.

"Just let me sleep. . ." Elesis said. Sieghart frowned, his face in dismay. Then he looked down and turned away. I had never seen Sieghart so upset before. . .

"Elesis. . . If you don't wake up, Ronan will die!" Lire suddenly said. Uh, huh? I guess she was still partly asleep, but why would Ronan die exactly, aside from grief?

"W-Wha. . .?" Elesis seemed confused. So was I.

"You heard me," Lire said. "Ronan. Will. Die."

"What?" I whispered to her.

"I'm trying to get her to wake up," she whispered back to me. Then more loudly, "I'll do it myself. You either wake up, or Ronan won't see the light of day again." Then Lire turned as if to walk off and do the deed right now. I was too stunned to stop her.

"No!" Elesis shouted, and tried to get to Lire. I held her back, noticing her dull, gray eyes.

"Touch Ronan and I will personally kill you," Elesis practically snarled.

"Don't worry, I won't," Lire told her.

"Not like Ronan's in the condition to fight. . ." I muttered.

"There, your daughter's awake," Lire said. Sieghart came over and looked at Elesis' eyes, for only a few seconds.

"What?" Elesis seemed confused.

Sieghart narrowed his eyes, then went back to the others.

"Father? What's wrong?" Elesis asked.

"Nothing. . ." he answered, before sitting, partly hidden from view.

Elesis walked over to him, and sat next to him.

"Elesis. . ." Sieghart gave her a hug.

"If you're sure nothing's wrong. . ." Elesis said, hugging him back, "I suppose I shall take a nap."

"Alright. . ." Sieghart said.

"Hey!" I cried out, and muttered, "Am I gonna have to drown her again?!"

"You might. . ." Lire whispered to me. I growled and walked over to the others and said, "So are we leaving soon?"

"Let's wake the others," Lire said, and nudged Lass. I helped Ronan stand up.

"Why. . ." Lass protested.

"We need to be moving soon," Lire told him. Lass just groaned, and closed his eyes tightly.

"C'mon, Lass, up and at 'em!" Lire said cheerily.

"Can't make meee. . ." Lass told her.

"Well," Lire said, thinking. "What if Arme made you?"

"Wha?"

"I'll go get Arme to wake you up."

"Huh. . . uh. . ." Lass started to think about it. Erm. . .

"Just wake up!" I shouted, and threw a seed at Lass. It latched onto his head, causing him to start screaming. He tried to rip it off.

"Get it off!" Lass shouted. He flailed, and threw a kunai. It whizzed past Ronan's head.

"Hey!" Ronan yelled.

"Get it off!" Lass shouted again.

"Only if you promise to wake up!" Lire shouted back.

"Fine!"

"Ryan!"

I had nearly doubled over laughing, and almost hadn't heard. "Huh? Oh, fine." I composed myself and went over. "Stop struggling!"

"It'll drain my brains out," Lass whined.

"Way to be positive. . ."I muttered, and began peeling it off carefully.

"Not like you had much anyway," Lire said, snickering.

"Hey!"

"There." I tossed the plant aside.

Lass fell over. "I'm awake." He rolled onto his back.

"You awake?" Lire asked Ronan.

"Of course I'm awake," he answered. He looked around, then looked down at his leg.

"Looks like we have to carry you. . ." Lire said.

"I'm fine," Ronan said.

"Fine, but don't blame me if you make it worse," Lire said, then turned from him. Ronan grumbled.

Then Jin arrived.

"Oh, hello Jin," Lire greeted. He only nodded at her.

"Oh, hi Jin," I greeted, as Lass said, "Hiiii. . ."

"Do you think you could carry Ronan if he begins to have trouble walking?" Lire asked.

"I-" Jin began, before Ronan interrupted. "No! I said I'm fine."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Lire told Jin, ignoring Ronan, who began grumbling again.

"I'm fine with that. . ." Jin said, though I don't think he didn't want to.

Thanking Jin, Lire went over to wake Arme up.

Arme woke up quickly. "Huh, wha?"

"We're going to move," Lire informed her.

"To where?" Arme asked, then seemed to remember. "Oh, right. Where's, uh, Elesis and Sieghart?"

"Uh. . ." Ronan looked around.

"Mommy. . ." Lass squeaked.

Lire pointed to where the father and daughter pair were. "Over there. Ryan, I think you may need to wake Elesis up again."

"She been sleeping a lot?" Arme asked.

"Yeah, and. . ." Lire hesitated. "You should see her eyes. . ."

"What about her eyes?"

"It'd be better if you saw."

"Well, go wake her up then."

Lire sighed. "Ryan?"

"Alright," I said, "but Sieghart might kill me."

"Just tell him that you're just waking her up."

Nervously, I went over to Sieghart. "Uh, Siega-Sieghart s-sir?"

"Hn?" He looked at me.

"I, uh, gotta borrow Elesis for a minute," I told him. "Or something."

"What for?" he asked.

"Uh. . ." Crap, I forgot! Uh. . .

"Waking her up?" Lire whispered to me.

"Oh, right," I said nervously. "I just gotta wake her up. . ." Sieghart just stared at me. I stared back with a nervous smile.

"Fine, take too long, and I'll come after you," Sieghart told me.

Phew! "O-Okay!" I said, and grabbed Elesis' arm, but Sieghart was still holding onto her. "Uh. . ."

He stared at me funnily, then at Ronan. Ronan was frowning, eyes closed. Soon, Sieghart released Elesis, and looked away.

Then Elesis woke up. "Huh, what? What's happening?"

"Uh, nothing," I told her, and began to half-lead, half-drag her to the river.

"Where are you taking me?" Elesis asked me. I didn't answer her.

As soon as we made it to the river, I led her to the very edge of the riverside, said, "Hold your breath!" and grabbed her ankles. I used my head to butt her into the river. I whistled a bit, my eyes averted from the river.

After a few seconds, I took her out.

"I was awake!" Elesis spat. "And I'm wearing a skirt!"

"I was looking away!" I told her. "Not like the others will know. . ."

"Yeah, right, no one's going to know. . ." she muttered. I ignored her, and walked back to the others, holding onto Elesis.

"Y'know, I can walk. . ." she grumbled. I just kept dragging her along.

"Are you guys back yet?" came a muffled voice. Lass' face was in the dirt. . .

"What are you doing Lass?" Elesis asked.

"I can't move," he answered.

"Maybe the seed really did do something to him," I said.

"Maybe you shouldn't have planted a seed in his head," Lire told me.

"I'll know better next time," I said.

"I can't feel my feeeeet," Lass whined.

Arme sighed. "Ryan, don't plant things on people's heads, ever! Unless it's a monster."

"Uh, gotcha. . ." I told her.

"Lass, how do you feel right now?" Arme asked him.

"Like I got beat up," Lass answered. "And I can't feel anything. Anythiiiing."

Arme pinched Lass a bit. He whistled. Arme took her staff out and tried a spell. I wonder what she did?

"Feel anything now?" Arme asked.

"Uh." Lass tried to stand up, but fell right back over. Luckily for him, Arme caught him. His body was, oddly enough, limp. Arme tried a spell again.

Lass tapped his foot, then moved his arms a bit. When Arme let go of him, he fell onto his face. "This isn't right!"

"Oh, c'mon. . ." Arme groaned, and tried again.

"I'm trying to move my neck," Lass complained, "but then I moved my fingers!" Guess what Arme did again? I wondered how she knew so many spells. . . Oh right, she was part of a mage guild or something.

Lass tried to get up, tiredly.

"How was that?" Arme asked.

Lass blinked, then shook his head before he spoke. "I think that's right."

"Do you feel good now?"

"Well, not really, but I'm okay."

"Maybe I can help you a bit better when we get into the town. . ."

"Fine by me."

"Alright, let's just go."

"Where we going?" Elesis asked.

"To town," Lass answered. "Wherever that may be."

"Well, there's a town to the west." Arme pointed to the right.

Sieghart got up. "Alright, I guess we'll be heading there, then." Great, company by a demon.

"C'mon guys." Arme lead us, Lass beside her, followed by a limping Ronan, Lire next to him, probably to support him, Jin behind them, and Sieghart beside him. I took up the rear.


	58. Chapter 57: Struggle

"Ronan, have you seen Elesis' eyes?" I asked.

"Huh?" Ronan looked over at me.

"Her eyes," I said.

"Uhm, no, why?"

"Well, go look."

I looked back, and saw that Elesis was near Sieghart, her gaze to the ground. Ronan looked back at her.

"Um," he said.

Elesis looked up at him. "Hm?"

Ronan probably saw the, er, state of her eyes, as his eyes widened, and then he tripped, falling onto his face. I nearly tripped over him. He let out a small noise.

"Are you okay, Ronan?" Elesis asked.

"Ungh, yeah. . ." he said. "Jin. . ."

"Alright. . ." Jin came over and moved Ronan's arm around his neck, and wrapped an arm around his torso. I stood up quickly.

"Was there something on my face?" Elesis asked, holding a finger up to her cheek. If only she knew how bad her eyes seemed. . .

Sieghart didn't answer, just made a few noises.

"Father? What's wrong?" Elesis looked over at him.

"Nothing," he answered.

"You guys all act as if there was something weird with me. . ." she grumbled. Ryan let out a nervous laugh.

"What's going on? If no one will tell me, then I suppose I'll leave you all," Elesis said, as if it were a simple matter.

"Why don't you ask Arme," Ryan said, "or Lire. . ."

"I-It's nothing, okay?" I said. I noticed that Arme wasn't even looking back.

"Can we just keep moving?" Lass asked, wobbling a bit. Arme helped him stay on his feet.

"Ronan. . . is there something wrong with me?" Elesis asked him. He didn't answer. "Ronan!" At his name, Ronan cringed a bit, then looked at her sadly.

"Why do you all look as if there's something wrong with me?" she asked.

"They're. . . Their color. . ." he said softly.

"What about the color?"

"They're dull. . . Your eyes used to be like fire. . ." From the looks of Ronan's face, I could tell he was remembering those blazing eyes.

"I'm just tired, geez. . ." Elesis muttered.

"No, they've lost their color, Elesis!" Ronan almost yelled.

"It's just because I'm tired!" she insisted.

"Being tired doesn't do that!"

"Yes it can!"

Ronan bit back another reply.

"Okay, hey, calm down. . ." Jin said.

"Is that what you're all worried about?" Elesis asked. "My eyes? They're just eyes, jeez. I mean, I can still see out of them, so quit thinking something's wrong with me, because there isn't!" If only we had all known the truth sooner, then perhaps. . .

"Well, apparently there is something wrong with you, because you've been sleeping a lot lately," Ryan said tensely. "And that's not very normal for someone who just got out of a nightmare."

"The nightmare wore me out, okay?"

"Tch, sure, whatever." Ryan turned away sharply, indicating he was done talking.

"Whatever yourself, stupid mutt. . ." Elesis muttered. Hey, she never called Ryan a mutt, even when they argued before! What was wrong with her? And then she continued. "Why I bother hanging out with you guys, I'll never understand. . ." That should've set some alarms off, but they didn't.

After a few minutes, Lass asked, "Are we theeere yet?"

"Let's not start with that. . ." I muttered.

"I can see it," Arme told him.

"Great! Maybe I can ru-" Lass began, before stumbling. "Or not. . ."

"Lass!" Arme managed to keep him from falling over.

"Er, thanks," Lass said, looking a tad embarrassed.

"How's everyone holdin' up?" I asked.

"Fine. . ." Ronan answered. I got no answer from Jin, but Sieghart said, "What'd you say, I was ignoring you." Old geezer. . .

Arme answered, "Doin' well here!" I looked over at Elesis, then asked her how she was holding up when I got no answer. She just looked away. Hmph.

Elesis ended up not walking where she was going, and walked right into Lass. He let out a cry.

"Watch it!" Arme snapped.

"Sooooooorry," Elesis said.

Lass glared at her a bit. Elesis stuck her tongue out at Lass, which seemed to get to him.

"What's your problem?!" he snapped at her.

"I don't have a problem, it's _you_ guys who have a problem!" Elesis snapped back.

"Oh yeah?!" Lass stopped and took out a knife.

"Oh, you want a fight? I'll give you a fight!" Elesis took out her sword.

"Hey, if you two fight, I swear I will knock the both of you ahead of us into that town!" Arme threatened. I certainly believed her.

Lass gritted his teeth, before putting his dagger away. However, Elesis kept her sword out.

"Chicken!" she taunted.

"Uh, Sieghart, sir, does your daughter usually act like this?" I whispered. I knew she doesn't, but maybe before we had met. . .

"No," he said, with a snort.

"Then shouldn't you, I dunno, _stop_ her and scold her or something?"

Sieghart just turned away from me, and I sighed.

"Too scared to fight? Fine," Elesis said, then put her sword away.

"If you want a fight. . ." Lass muttered. "Then all you have to do is tell me!" He pulled away from Arme, who let out a cry of protest, and unsheathed his nodachi.

"Not so fast, Lassy." Sieghart grabbed Lass and held him tightly.

Elesis drew her dual swords.

"Let me go, old man!" Lass was swinging his nodachi in Elesis' direction.

"How about no?" Sieghart said.

"Ha, are you that weak that you can't even break someone's grip?" Elesis taunted.

"Hello?!" Lass yelled. "I bet _you_ couldn't even do it! He's fucking over four centuries old!"

"Six," Sieghart corrected.

"Six!" Lass shouted.

"Of course I could," Elesis said. "After all, I'm not weak and pathetic like you!" I wish I knew about the inner turmoil that was going on. . .

"Why I oughta. . ." Lass seethed, then threw his nodachi directly at Elesis. However, she ducked. "Stupid."

Then Sieghart started to choke Lass.

"W-W-What are you doing?!" Lass gagged.

"What did you hope to accomplish?" Elesis asked smugly.

"Lass!" Arme cried. "Stop it, Sieghart!"

"Let. . . go. . .!" Lass choked.

After a few more seconds of choking, Sieghart threw Lass to the ground. He skidded to the ground, and held his neck, gasping for air.

"Looks like you lose, and I didn't even have to touch you." What was Elesis thinking?! "Can't hold your breath for that long? Ha."

Sieghart turned to Elesis, eyes narrowed, and frowned as he approached her and grabbed her by the back of her head. She let out a cry of protest as he shoved her head into the dirt, placing a foot on her back.

"Mmph!"

"I realize I can't treat you like a child anymore, Elesis, because you aren't," Sieghart told her. "I'm sorry. Since you're engaged to Ronan Erudon, I have to treat you like an adult. You can't be daddy's little girl anymore."

"Get off of me!" Elesis managed to yell. "Get off of me right now!" What was that tone in her voice?

Sieghart pressed his foot harder onto her back. "And who do you think you're talking to?!"

"You'll break my back at this rate!" Elesis screamed.

"Listen," Sieghart said. "If you were really wondering why you 'hang out' with us, that's because you couldn't survive without us. In addition, we're your friends and family, if you're smart enough to comprehend. We care about you." Sieghart sighed. "But you should know that we don't like being treated like shit."

"You think I can't survive without you? I've been at the front of almost all our battles, taking the brunt of the attacks, and you think I can't survive without you guys? That's what you think," Elesis replied.

"Something's really wrong," Arme whispered. "I mean, really, Elesis doesn't actually try and fight any of us, no matter what we do!" No duh. Unless Arme was implying something else?

"Maybe you don't get it," Sieghart told her. "Maybe it's because you're in the lead too much to notice what's going on behind you. If you never noticed, your friends have always been here to back you up in whatever battle there might be."

"I know that, you think I'm that stupid?" Elesis retorted.

Sieghart gave a snort. "What kind of snob did I raise anyways? If we weren't here, you'd be dead. As simple as that." He shrugged.

"If you think I'd be dead without you," Elesis said, "then I'll prove you wrong. I'll head off somewhere, somewhere where I can't 'rely' on any of you. Then I'll find you guys, unharmed, and show you that I can be on my own, no problem."

"No. . ."I whispered. "I believe that but I feel that if you leave, then something bad will happen. . ."

"No," Sieghart said. "If you want to prove you can survive without us, then you can just battle with us."

"Right, like I can fight with one eye," Elesis told him. Wait, what?

"What did you say?" Arme asked.

"Huh, nothing!" Elesis answered. "Quit making stuff up, Arme!"

"One. . . eye?" I said aloud.

"Huh. . ." Lass wheezed.

"Uh, is it me, or did you hear what I think I heard?" Ryan asked.

"I don't get it. . ." Jin murmured.

"What?!" Elesis snapped.

"One eye?" Sieghart looked confused.

"Quit hearing things!" Elesis shouted. "Is your imagination running wild or something?!"

"No. . . it's just you," Sieghart said flatly.

"Turn her over, let's take a look at her eyes," Arme said.

"You won't see anything wrong. . ." Elesis muttered.

"That's what you think," Arme told her.

Sieghart grabbed Elesis by the top her of head and dragged her to her feet. She groaned a bit.

Arme, Lass, and I came up to look. What I saw shocked me.

Though her eyes were still gray, one looked as if it were crying, or maybe leaking, a sickly red fluid.

"Y-You're. . . bleeding?" Arme sounded as if she didn't believe it. I was too shocked to say anything.

"No I'm not!" Elesis yelled. "If I were, I could feel it!"

"Huh? Blood?" Right, Sieghart couldn't see from his view. . .

"Pluck her eye!" Lass shouted. Sieghart threw the nodachi at him.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Elesis snarled.

"My nodach-" Lass started, before the weapon made contact with his forehead.

"Lass!" Arme cried.

"I'm okay. . ." Lass said, a bit dizzy.

"What's with your eye?" Arme asked.

"It's nothing!"

Ryan walked up and grabbed Elesis, who kicked him.

"If you take my eye out, then I'll be blind!" Elesis shouted. "Stay away from me!"

"How about now?" Ryan said. "You like seeds with that?" He took a seed out.

"Ryan, remember?" I said.

"Yeah, right. . ." he grumbled.

"Stay away from me! I'll make you all regret it if you get near me!" Elesis shouted. She seemed a bit delirious.

"Oh, really?" Ryan said, before getting kicked again. He whacked her with the scythe's pole. Elesis seemed to snarl, almost like a rabid dog.

"I know!" Ryan said, as if he suddenly realized something. "She's got rabies!"

"Shoot her!" Lass shouted.

"I'll shoot you!" Elesis shouted back.

"Yeah?! With what!"

"How will you shoot me?! I'll throw my swords at you!"

"And I'll poke holes through you with all of my kunai!"

"Lass!" Arme yelled.

"Watch out when you eat next time!" Lass continued. I looked over at Ronan, who was just looking at the ground.

"I'd love to see you even get near me!" Elesis yelled.

"Oh yeah?!" Lass got up.

"I'll skewer you so badly!" Elesis continued.

"Don't!" Arme cried, holding Lass back.

"I'll make you wish you died!" Lass yelled, struggling against Arme.

"And you'll be so badly mangled, you'll be begging for death!" How long was this going to last?!

"I'll make you wish you were pregnant, 'cuz I ain't holding back! You ain't no woman!"

"Ouch. . ." Ryan whispered.

"At least. . . At. . . least. . ." It seemed as if Lass struck a soft spot, as Elesis looked down. "At least. . . I know what it's like to have life stir within me. . ." I almost didn't hear those words. . .

"Heh? What'd you say?" Lass asked, mockingly.

"Hmph." Elesis looked away.

"Hey, _answer me_!" Lass shouted, as he picked up the nodachi.

"Why the hell should I have to answer to you?!" Elesis snapped. It almost looked as if she were about to cry.

"Lass, stop. . ." Arme whispered.

"Why?!" Lass yelled. "Well, excuse me if I was being _rude_, Ms. I-can-take-on-the-world-by-myself!"

"Oh, you aren't _rude_, you are downright ignorant!"

"Ignorant? _Me_? Ha! Don't make me laugh! Ignorant to what?! Snob!"

"I doubt you've ever had the feeling that if you didn't win, then everyone that you cared for would perish!" Elesis said, loudly, but it wasn't like a scream or something. Almost as if she. . . she. . . was telling something to someone, as if that if she didn't say this, then she would. . . lose? "That if you died, then so would everyone else! You wouldn't even know what it'd be like to have life growing inside of you, and never will! There are no words to describe what it's like to protect that fragile, little thing inside of you, and having failed three times! Do you know how hard that is? Do you? I highly doubt it, and I feel as if the love of my life wants to give up, feeling like he can't protect me, or that little spark of life! Do you even know how hard it is for a mother to not even be able to protect something so small, that its face will never be seen?!"

Her tears stained the earth, for she knew it was too late to save herself from the inner turmoil we were unaware of at the time that would later bring about a death. But even so, her words stunned us all.


	59. Chapter 58: Town

**Author's Note**: Don't complain about towns, if there weren't any, how would Grand Chase get their gear? Plus, what would Kanavan and Serdin be ruling then? Monsters? Besides, even if you can't see them, there are mentions of towns.

--

Lass blinked, eyes wide. He was speechless. His gaze drifted to the side, avoiding Elesis.

She looked down, and then I realized she had fainted.

Ronan, who had watched and heard it all, turned away, looking guilty.

"E. . . Elesis?" Ryan whispered.

Something black fell out of her mouth.

"Huh?!" Ryan backed away from the thing.

"Ew, it's a spider!" I said, noticing the eight, spindly legs, and picked it up on my staff.

"Ew, kill it. . ." Lass said flatly.

"I wonder what it was doing. . . inside of Elesis?" I wondered aloud.

"Ew, she ate a spider?!" Lass said, disgustedly.

"I doubt she'd be stupid enough to try that," I told him.

"Well, m-" Lass began, then stopped. "Ergh, never mind. . ."

I stared at the spider, and noticed two black, glistening orbs that stared back at me.

"Wanna kill it i_now_/i?" Ryan asked.

"Hold on. . ." I murmured, and tossed it up slightly with my staff. It went straight up, then fell back onto the staff, landing with a splert. Some black, misty stuff oozed out.

"Okay, ew," I said. Gross.

"What the. . ." I heard Sieghart say.

My staff started to glow, then it began to glow a black color. My staff started to grow hot - too hot - and I dropped it. It shattered into pieces.

"I think Kaze'aze sent that spider. . ." I muttered. Oh, how true that was. "And now my staff's broken."

"Oh, joy to the fucking world," Sieghart grumbled while Lire muttered, "Another way that Kaze'aze makes our life miserable. . ."

"Well, we're going to town, right?" Ryan asked. "So, you'll be able to get a new one."

"Well, I'll be needing a new staff," I said, as I took out my war staff. "In the mean time, keep Elesis safe." I turned around. "Let's go, I'll examine her later."

Lass stood up and sheathed his nodachi, eyes closed, and began to keep pace with me once more.

"Lass, are you okay?" I asked him, softly enough so the others couldn't hear. He didn't answer me. Instead, Lass looked at me, then down at his feet, feeling guilty.

"It's okay Lass," I told him. "Don't feel too down."

"Oh, how can I not?" Lass whispered.

"Well, think of it this way," I said. "If you hadn't said that stuff, the spider might still be inside of her, doing who-knows-what." I had a feeling that Lass' words had freed Elesis from the spider, though I wasn't sure how.

"Yeah, but. . ." Lass sighed, depressed.

"You can apologize to her later," I told him.

"Yeah. . . okay. . ."

I grabbed Lass' arm and held onto it tightly. That got a smile out of him.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Lass," I said.

"Alright. . ." Lass looked a bit better.

"Just try and smile more!" I continued. He wrapped an arm around me, and smiled. "That's better."

"Hey, Ronan, how do you feel right now, about this?" Lire asked, behind us.

"What?" Ronan said. "About what?"

"You know. . ."

There was a bit of silence, before Ronan answered. "It's true. . ." I

"I'm sorry. . ." Lire said. "I'm sure Elesis feels pretty bad too." Ronan sighed, and didn't say anything.

I swore the silence would've killed me, but luckily, we arrived at the town.

"Been awhile since I've been in a town. . ." I said, looking around.

"Yeah. . ." Lass said, looking around as well.

"Okay, I'll go look for a place to get a new staff," I told him.

"Maybe I'll go find us a place to stay for a bit?" Lire suggested.

"Good idea," I murmured, then went off on my own before letting her respond.

--

"I'll go look for supplies," Lass said.

"We'll come with you then," Ronan said.

"I'll go with Lire," Sieghart said. Why me?!

"Uh, I'm gonna go with the guys. . ." Ryan said. "So. . . have fun!"

"Uh, well. . ." I looked around. The guys, minus Sieghart, scampered away, while Arme disappeared into a building.

I was left with Sieghart, who was carrying Elesis.

"Hm, where's a good place. . ." I asked myself.

"What? Are you asking me?" Sieghart asked.

"Just talking to myself," I told him, "unless you have an idea."

"I haven't been in a town for. . . er. . . I won't say," Sieghart said.

"Well," I said, walking over to a nice-looking building. "This looks like a nice place."

"You never know, it could be hell."

"We can check it out first." I went in.

"Sure. . ." I heard Sieghart come in after me. I talked to the owner, asking if we could explore, and after getting his consent, began to wander. Sieghart kept following me.

I shuddered a bit. "What's this chill I'm getting?"

"Huh?" Sieghart said suddenly.

"I dunno," I said, "it seemed a bit cold for a second?" I looked back at him, and he simply shrugged.

I looked around a bit, then my gaze rested on something kind of misty. Then I realized it was a spectral, and. . . it looked like a blood-thirsty monster, advancing on me! I let out a yelp.

"Nice find, Lire," Sieghart grumbled, as I ran. When I stopped and looked back, I saw Sieghart trying to talk with the spirit. Well, I didn't wait for him, I just kept running.

Soon I was out.

"Liiire?!"

I turned around. "S-S-Sieghart?" My heart was still pounding.

"When I find you, I'll kill Ryan!" he yelled.

"What?!" I cried. "Why!"

"You took off without me," Sieghart answered. "And you hurt the spirit's feelings."

"But why Ryan?!"

"I can't kill a girl!" He came out of the building. "What's wrong with you?"

"I got spooked. . "

"Right. Let's keep looking."

"I have a bad feeling about this town now. . ." I said softly.

"Aw, don't worry, not like it's haunted or anything," Sieghart grumbled. "Let's continue looking, shall we?" He seemed extra cheery now. . . but I simply followed. Sieghart placed Elesis on his back while he walked, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

After a while of walking, I saw Ryan, Lass, Jin, and Ronan window shopping at an armory. Oh no. . . Ryan! I glanced over at Sieghart. A devious grin began to creep across his face.

I yelled out Ryan's name.

"Huh. . ." Sieghart said.

Ryan looked over in my direction. "Lire!" The others turned over.

"Sieghart said he wants to kill you!" I shouted to him. The others began to look nervous.

"Ahahah, why would I say that?" Sieghart said, then began to grumble. "Let's keep looking." Just as he was about to leave, he looked at Lass, who noticed.

"Why so edgy?" Sieghart asked.

"Huh?!" Lass seemed really nervous.

"Nothing," Sieghart said, then walked away. I was confused, then I saw another ghost, coming at me. What was with all these blood-thirsty things?! I yelped and ran.

Eventually, I stopped, unfortunately near where Sieghart had walked to.

"What is. . . with all these. . . ghosts?!" I asked, panting.

"Maybe they all got killed and they're looking for a home?" Sieghart suggested. "Of course, that's just my idea. Why don't we stay in a stable or something?"

"I'd rather sleep in a place a bit more comfortable right now. . ." I answered.

"Where spirits sleep in your mattress and peer through your clothes. . ." he added.

"I wouldn't mind," I told, "as long as they don't try to eat me or something. . ."

"So you'd rather spirits look at your body rather than Ryan?" he said.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?!" I demanded.

"Ooh, nothing." I glared at Sieghart.

"Huh, what's up with that look?" he asked.

"Nothing!" I shouted, then went off to find the others, not wanting to be with this asshole any longer.

"Hm, where's Ryan?" I asked to no one. Then he seemed to answer for me.

"Lass?!" Ryan shouted from somewhere.

"I-I can explain!" Lass answered. I ran to where I heard the voices. Soon, I ended up in an alleyway. Lass was kneeling behind a pile of some jewels and small pieces of armor.

"What happened?" I asked, confused.

"Lass stole this stuff!" Ryan answered, voice hushed.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Lass!"

"I-I!. . .!" Lass started. "I'm sorry, okay?! It's just, I'm a thief. . ."

"So?! Did you i_have_/i to just steal it?!" I asked.

"Maybe?!" he answered. "I had my urges!"

"Ugh, so?!" Ronan said.

"The others aren't going to be happy about this. . ." I muttered. "C'mon, return it." Lass picked up all the stolen items and stood up.

Ronan, Ryan, Jin and I followed Lass as both Ronan and Ryan made Lass confess to his crime. Afterwards, I asked, "Hey, where's Arme? Is she not back yet?"

"I didn't see her. . ." Jin answered. I looked around.

"She was supposed to be looking for staffs," Ryan answered.

I looked over at the weapon shop, not seeing a sign of familiar violet. "But I don't see her," I said. "I'm going to go look for her." I began to walk off somewhere, but heard Lass say, "Hey! I'll come with you!"

We began to search for Arme.


	60. Chapter 59: Shaman's Hut

I blinked and cupped my hands around my mouth as I shouted Arme's name. There was no answer. I tried again.

"What if. . . she's held hostage?" Lire asked.

"By what? Sieghart?" I answered sarcastically.

"Knowing him, probably."

"Uh, good point."

I looked around and saw Siegart.

"Well, he has Elesis 'hostage' still," Lire noted. "What is he doing?"

"You're asking me?" Sieghart looked like he was trying to talk to a mass of ghouls.

"Let's ask him?" Lire suggested.

I walked over to Sieghart and called his name.

"Huh?" He turned to me. "Oh, it's Lassy."

"Lass. . ." I corrected. "What are you doing?"

"I'm obviously trying to talk to these guys," he answered.

"About what?" Lire asked.

"Dead stuff."

"Er, okay, but why?"

"Well, I bet you would, if you were bored and had guts."

"Well, I do like spirits. . ." Probably if they're not trying to scare you half to death, that is.

Sieghart turned around and they all disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Lire asked.

"Do I look like I know?" he told her.

"Well, have you seen Arme anywhere?" Lire asked.

"Huh?" Sieghart said. "No, why?"

"None of us have seen her lately," Lire explained. I looked down, guilty.

"What's _his_ issue?" Sieghart asked.

"He's worried!" Lire defended.

"No, he looks kinda guilty," Sieghart said. Crap. . .

"Because she's probably in danger, and he's not there to help protect her!" Lire tried to explain.

"Nooope," Sieghart said. "Something else."

"Lass, are you a bit upset because of the, uh, stealing?" Lire asked me.

"Huh? He stole something?" Sighart asked. I didn't answer.

"Well. . ." Lire hesitated.

"Eh?" Sieghart said.

"Yes," Lire finally said.

"Oh, really?" Sieghart said, suspiciously.

"He returned it all though!"

"Uh. . ." I said.

"Did he do it by himself?" Sieghart asked. I looked up, to see Lire looking over at me.

"Err. . ." I kinda did. . .

"Lass, did you have help?" Lire asked.

"Well, it wasn't that bad," I said slowly. "I mean, he didn't know I was stealing it. . ."

"Really?"

"Yes, really! I'm the thief, it's all my fault, okay. . ." Lire wasn't helping.

"W-Well, at least you returned it, right?" Lire said.

"Y-Yeah. . ." I said softly.

"So, uh, no harm done!" Lire let out a nervous laugh.

However, Sieghart was glaring at me, making me _really_ nervous!

"Can we find Arme now?" I asked.

"Yes, lets!" I could tell Lire wanted to get away too. However, Sieghart came with us, so I tried to ignore him.

"Arme!" Sieghart called out.

"Where should she be?" I asked.

Both Lire and I called out Arme's name, receiving no answer.

"I have a bad feeling. . ." I said.

"I do too. . ." Lire agreed.

"I don't," Sieghart said.

"Of course you don't. . ." I grumbled, while Lire said, "Because you don't give a crap about anyone but your own daughter." What was she thinking?!

Sieghart shot a look at her before lunging for Lire's neck. However, I bumped him away, causing him to stumble away and stare at me. I gulped, trying to keep a serious face.

"Why don't you learn to be more caring of others than just your own kin?" Lire said. "Maybe I'll actually respect you then! Until then, you're nothing but an old geezer, who cares for hardly anyone at all." Then she turned and walked off. I looked over at Lire, then at Sieghart, then ran after Lire, in case Sieghart decided to do something to me.

"I don't see how Elesis could love such an uncaring bastard such as him. . ." Lire muttered.

"I don't think that he trusts us. . ." I grumbled. "Or just me. . ."

"I don't really trust him," Lire said. "I haven't been able to, but I tried."

"I don't think he wants to trust us," I said.

"His loss then," Lire said with a shrug. "Maybe one day we'll trust him, but for now, no."

I sighed, then tried to call for Arme again.

"We'll never find her at this rate. . ." Lire said. I looked down, depressed this time.

"B-But don't worry, we'll probably find her soon!" Sometimes, I envied how Lire could act optimistic.

"Uh, you're right. . . " I said.

Lire looked around again, as I headed towards an armory. Arme had said she was gonna go look for a staff. . .

"Uhm, Lass?" Lire called from behind. I turned to her. "Armories sell armor."

"Oh, right!" I said. Weaponry. . . Oops. . .

I ran to it.

"Lass, wait!" Lire yelled. I didn't listen and just kept running. Then I heard her yelp. Did I hear a cackle, then something say "I got Doritos"? Either way. . . I soon made it to the weaponry's entrance and looked in. Lire ran right in.

Walking up to the weapon shop owner, I asked, "Hey, have you seen a girl who's about neigh high," held up my hand to about my shoulder, and continued, "and has purple hair?"

"Yeah, I have," he told me. "She was asking about staffs, but I told her I don't carry none." Nice English. . .

"Oh. . ." I said, feeling my hopes raise slightly, as she was here. "Alright, do you know where she went?"

"Nope, reckon she were heading to that one magic shop."

"Could you tell me where it is?"

"I wouldn't go there if I were you." He seemed nervous.

"Please!" I begged.

"Well, if you really want to. . ." He thought for a bit. "Northern outskirts of town."

I was even more hopeful now. "Thank you!" Then I turned to Lire and said, "C'mon, Lire!"

"Where we heading to?" she asked.

"Northern outskirts of town," I told her. "The shopkeeper says that there's a magic shop there."

"Bet it'll be a bit colder up there. . ." Lire grumbled, looking north at the more bleak landscape.

"Aw, not that much colder, I'd hope," I said. I headed out of the shop, waiting for Lire to come.

"Stupid ghosts. . ." Lire muttered.

"I don't think they can do anything," I said, "if you leave them in your dust."

"Right. . ." Lire said, then ran north. I ran along with her. I noticed she ran right through a ghost, but it seemed that Lire didn't notice.

As soon as we were here, I skidded to a stop. The place was a dump!

"See it anywhere?" Lire asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure," I said, kicking a box. Lire tripped right over it. Oops.

"Uh. . ." I began to whistle, nervous, and continued walking along. "Hey, what's that?" I pointed to what looked like a hut. "Looks like a little hut."

Lire walked up next to me. "You're right. Makes me think of shamans." Like those Native Leaders that just loved to curse and petrify us? Hopefully we didn't run into another one.

Suddenly, a ghost came up to us, causing Lire to run. The ghost chased after her.

"Uh, hey?!" I cried. "Wait up!" I chased after her, as she began yelling. "Heeeeeelp!"

"Just run to the hut!" I yelled after Lire. Instead, she ran towards what appeared to be some mutant dog. Oh great.

"Lire, where are you going?!" I yelled. Lire didn't seem to be paying attention to anything. In fact, she stepped onto the dog's tail.

"Lire!" I shouted. I tried to jump over it, but ended up landing on its head, then leaped onto the other side of the dog, and ran back around like hell.

"I'm gonna die. . ." I muttered, as I ran before the entrance of the hut.

"Welcome, to my hut."

Oh shit.

"Issssss there anything I can assissssssst you with?"

"Yeah, uh, can I get in before I get devoured?" I asked, hearing the rushing footsteps of a dog.

"Of coursssssssse."

"Open up!" I shouted, sounding desperate. The door of the hut creaked open, and I slammed it closed as I ran in. There was a thump, a whine, some scratching, and then the sound of fading footsteps. Or pawsteps.

"Ssssssso, what isssssss it you wisssssssh?" I was asked.

"Uh, where is this?" I asked, feeling my way from breaking anything in the dark.

"Thissssssss isssssss the magic sssssssshop."

"Oh, alright, do you know about a girl, purple hair, purple eyes, about five feet or so?" I asked. This was. . . kinda creepy.

"Yesssssssss I have."

"You know where she is?!" I decided to stay near the door.

"I do not." Aw. . .

"D-Did she come here?"

"Yesssssss."

I just had to ask, "Do you, uh, have a severe lisp?!"

"Why, what a rude man you are," I was told.

"Uh, sorry," I said.

"It'ssssss okay." How vexing. . .

"I supossssssse you didn't know," they said.

"Uh. . .?"

"Whoever ssssssent you here sssssshould've told you to go to the sssssouthern area of town. Thisssss is a magic charms ssssssssshop, not a magic ssssssstaff shop."

"Oh!" I cried. "Uh-uh, uh, thank you!" was all I could say.

"You are welcome. But before you leave, do you wissssssh for a charm to help protect yoursssssself from the dark magic of Kaze'azzzzzze?"

Wait, what?! "W-What?!"

"Do you, Lassssss?" Oh, crap. This was really scary.

"W-What do you mean?" I asked. "How do you know my name?!"

"I know many thingssssssss," they answered. I think this was a female, but it was hard to tell.

"What do you know about me," I asked, "and Kaze'aze?!"

"Your passsssst," they. . . she. . . said. "It is ssssssshrouded in mysssssstery, but you were once a puppet of the Queen of Darknessssss."

I shuddered. "Who are you?" I asked. Was this, perhaps, one of Kaze'aze's minions?

"No one that you need to know about."

"Alright. . . . I-I. . . can I trust you?"

"If you wissssssh."

"Ah. . ." Should I? I wasn't sure.

"Whom your trusssssst issssss your choice." It was right. I could choose to trust whoever I wished.

"Alright. . ." I said. "I'll trust you."

Then, "But how do you trusssssst sssssssssomeone you don't even know?"

I gulped. This was getting tough. "Well, what am I supposed to do then?!"

"Whatever you wissssssh. After all, you are free to make your own choicessssss." Very confusing. . .

"Well. . ." I said. "If you do have a charm that would protect me against Kaze'aze's curses, could I have it?"

"Of coursssssse you may, but how are you so ssssssssure that it would really work?"

"Well. . ." I thought for a moment. "I'm not. But we can always find out!"

"Very well. The charm isssssss to your left. It lookssssssss like the Queen of Darknesssssss." Great, a charm that looks like a mutant dog. Fun.

I looked to the left, my eyes having adjusted to the gloomy darkness. I wondered, what did this. . . shaman, look like? There was a charm that looked like Kaze'aze sitting on top of a pile of herbs and feathers.

"Oh, hello. . ." I said to myself, as I grabbed it and examined the thing.

I jumped slightly as they said, "Alssssssso, do not fret. Your loved one isssss ssssssafe. Ssssssshe isssss waiting for you at the center sssssssquare." I think my heart jumped as well.

"R-Really?!" I exclaimed.

"Yessssss."

"Th-Thank you, whoever you are. . ." I said.

"It issssss no problem."

Time to get out of here. I opened the door and stepped outside, letting the door close behind me. As I looked around, I heard, "Farewell, and good luck, Lasssssss."


	61. Chapter 60: Dogs

As I was examining my new staff, smooth, colored purple, and trimmed with gold accents, and a lovely blue orb, I heard my name. Looking up, I saw Lass.

"Lass!" I cried out, and ran over to him, giving him a big hug.

"We were looking everywhere for you!" Lass cried.

"I'm sorry, I was told to go north, but then I was told to go south!" I told him. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Lass!"

"It's alright, I'm just glad you're safe," he said, slightly muffled. I could feel his breath ruffle my hair.

"Where's the others?" I asked.

"The last time I saw them was at the armory."

"Really? Looking for new armor?"

"Well, I guess, I, uh. . ." Lass looked down at himself. I noticed then his shirt was still gone.

"Oh, Lass," I said, "go get a new shirt! I'll wait for you!" Pulling away, I went over to the bench and sat back down. However, as Lass headed towards the armory, he stopped and sighed. "I can't go in there. . ."

"Why?" I asked.

"I, uh. . ." Lass turned towards me, rubbing his arm. "I kinda. . . stole something. . ."

"Oh, Lass!" I said.

"Things. . ." he finished, rubbing his head.

"Why did you do that?" I asked.

"I-I don't know!" Lass cried.

"Oh, Lass, I'll get you a new shirt then," I told him, and walked into the armory. As I was looking around, I looked out the window slightly and saw Lass looking at something, before pulling it over his neck. I wonder what it was? I let the thought slip from my head, however, as I found an outfit that I thought would suit him. It matched his eyes, and the silver looked nice.

As soon as I purchased it, I went out, over to Lass, and waved. Standing up and dusting himself, he waved back.

"Here y'go, Lass!" I said cheerily, as I gave him a wrapped bundle.

I could see the blue jacket poking out as Lass unwrapped it.

"Oh, great!" Lass said. He looked happier now, and I was glad.

"I bet it looks good on you," I told him, smiling.

"Uh, I'll go get changed. Somewhere."

I looked around. "Did you guys, uh, ever get around to finding a place to stay?"

"Uh," Lass said. "Sieghart and Lire. . . I don't know where they really went."

"Oh great," I groaned.

"Well, Lire ran off from a mutant thing, and Sieghart. . ."

"Is Lire really that scared?" I asked.

"I guess. They started chasing us," Lass said.

"So you lost her?"

"No!" Lass exclaimed. "She ran off in a direction. I called after her, but I got response."

"Guess we should go look for her?" I suggested.

"Huh, what about Sieghart?" Lass asked. "I don't think he trust me anymore. . ." Figures.

"Who cares," I said, "I don't really trust him either. Let's go." Lass just shrugged and headed north, the re-wrapped bundle in his arms.

"You guys went there?" I asked.

"Er, yeah," Lass answered.

"It's a dump up there. . ." I said, remembering the mounds of who-knows-what, and the smell. . .

"Sadly. . ." Lass said.

"No wonder there would be mutants up there," I said.

"I guess." Then Lass began to call Lire's name. No answer.

"Lire!" I yelled.

"Great, she's gone missing. . ." Lass said, with a sigh.

I sighed as well. "Where's Elesis, Ronan, Ryan, and Jin?"

"I last saw them at the armory. The guys, at least. I suppose they left."

"Great." I looked up at the darkening sky. "It's getting dark, too!"

"Anyone?!" Lass yelled. "Hey?!"

I yelled, "Get your asses over here!" Was it me or were there more ghosts?

Then, suddenly, a blunt object jabbed at Lass, then more violently at me.

"Hey!" I yelled, and kicked it. There was a growl, and then some purple. Oh.

As Lass took out his nodachi, I said, "I know who that is."

"Sheathe your sword, boy, while it's still intact. "Sieghart stepped out of the shadows, still holding Elesis.

"What do you mean?!" Lass demanded.

"As beat up as that thing is?" Sieghart asked. Lass said nothing, but sheathed his weapon, as I took out my new staff.

"Oh, you got a new staff!" Lass exclaimed. "Did you get a lamp, too?"

"Yeah, I did," I answered. "They're quite nice, and they're really effective." I looked over at Sieghart, who looked back, except at Lass.

"I'm getting really sick of Sieghart," I muttered.

"Where's Lire?" Sieghart asked.

"Dunno, we're looking for her," I stated.

Sieghart grumbled a bit, then snorted and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Lass asked.

"Searching," Sieghart answered.

"At least put Elesis down," I said, but I was ignored as I watched Sieghart fade out of view.

"Don't think he trusts us with her. . ." Lass said to me.

"He can go to hell then," I grumbled.

"I don't know," Lass said, "but it's certainly not good for her health."

"Probably not helping Ronan either," I said.

Lass sighed, before he started calling out Lire's, Ronan's, and Jin's names. "It's getting too dark for this. Where are you guys?!"

I screamed.

"Arme?!"

"Sorry," I said, just trying to get their attention, if they're within earshot."

"Oh," Lass said, holding a hand to his chest. "Kinda scared me."

"I'm sorry." I hugged Lass. I hadn't meant to scare him, but yelling while it was getting dark probably wasn't a good idea. I felt Lass kiss the top of my head.

"I don't see them. . ." I said.

Lass let go of me and began to walk, towards the armory. There, we saw Ryan in front of it, alone. The store was closed, but it looked like Ryan was peering into it.

"Hey, Ryan!" Lass called out.

"Huh?" Ryan turned around. "Lass? Were have you been?" Was it me, or did Ryan look kind of guilty?

"Hey, Ryan," I said. "What're you doing here?"

"Well. . ." Ryan turned and looked into the armor shop. His gaze rested on a nice set of armor. It looked like the one he had described once, when he talked about something called Xenociders, what Ryan was.

"Uh, hey, Ryan, have you seen Lire?" I asked.

"No, I thought she was with Sieghart!" Ryan said.

"Well, she ran off. Somewhere."

"Darn it. . . Where are the others? Do you know?"

"Well," I said, "we saw Sieghart and Elesis, but. . ." Ryan looked at me, wanting me to continue. All I said was, "I wish Elesis would wake up soon!" He just looked at me, then began to look around a bit.

Lass raised his arms up and yawned. "I'm getting tired."

"I suppose we should find a place to rest," I said. And soon. . . Lass looked like he was half-asleep, but I could tell he was still afraid.

Hugging Lass, I said, "I'll be here, Lass, so please don't be afraid. . ."

"Thank you, Arme. . ." Lass said.

"Guys?!" I heard Ryan call.

Immediately, I pulled away, feeling my cheeks grow hot. "U-Uh, yes?"

"I think there's something coming towards us," Ryan said. "And it's not human."

I looked in the direction Ryan had indicated, and saw what looked like a dog. Actually. . . it was one of those mutant dogs!

"Hey, it's that thing Lire and I stepped on. . ." Lass said.

"How. . . odd," I simply said.

"Uhm." Lass looked nervous. "I don't think I want to stick around."

"Neither do I."

Ryan morphed into a wolf, just as a breeze came from the north. Covering his nose, Ryan cried, "What is that stench?!"

"Probably the garbage," I said, not smelling anything. "The northern part of this town is a dump."

"Gah, just jump on!" Ryan growled.

"Why?" I asked.

"You guys walk slow. . ." Ryan grumbled. "Besides, Lass is a walking corpse."

"Am not," Lass protested, but I could see he was starting to tip over to one side.

"Take Lass then," I said, "I'll be fine."

Lass slumped over Ryan's back.

"Hey, get on right!" Ryan snapped.

"Careful, Lass," I said.

He slung his leg over Ryan's back and held on tightly, as if he were riding a horse. Ryan stuck his nose to the ground and began to sniff, as I stared at the dog.

"So, what the hell are you?" I asked, even though it couldn't speak. However, it did growl at me.

I began to back away, not letting it out of my sight. I wonder if that dog would just leave? It smelled back, and I held my nose. "Ew. . ." Then I turned and ran. I didn't want to hang around such a smelly dog.

I finally caught up to Ryan and Lass. Then I noticed Lire running. . . from ghosts?

"Lire!" Ryan shouted, as he dropped Lass, and ran after her. Lass just lay there, silent, and I walked over to him. A dog came over and sniffed Lass, who wasn't moving, which worried me. . .

I kicked the dog. As it growled, I realized my foot started to smell bad. Ew. Then it grabbed Lass' pant leg with its teeth, seeing as how Lass was still shirtless, and began to haul him away. Hey!

Taking out my staff, I let loose some lightning, hoping to fry it. Well, I half-fried it, and it gave off an even nastier stench. I held my nose, and then grabbed Lass' hand as the dog started dragging Lass again. He. . . was asleep.

"Lass! Wake up!" I shouted, aware of how nasally I sounded, but it was better than having to deal with the stench.

The dog growled, then jumped at me, but I ducked to the side, yelping. Then it turned and bit my hand, the one holding Lass.

"Ow!" I cried. "Let go!"

I felt the dog's hot breath on my hand, and then, it felt like it was actually rotting! It hurt!

"Ow ow ow ow!" I cried, and with my free hand, shot out a wave of energy at the dog. It turned completely to stone, and I yanked my hand out, not wanting to look at it.

Lass was sleeping like a log. I whacked him, hard. "C'mon!"

"Snrk, huh?" Lass groaned. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere in town still," I said, looking around.

"Where's Ryan?" he asked, and I noticed he still had the package with him, and stood up.

"Not sure," I said.

"Well. . ." Lass said, then called, "Ronan! Jin! Ryan! Lire!" Then he started to stumble.

"Lass!" I cried. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," he said. "I'm just really worn out."

"You can lean on me if you wish," I told him, putting my hand in my pocket.

Lass glanced down a bit, before he wrapped an arm around me, and I felt him place a bit of his weight against me. "Sorry about this. . ."

"It's okay," I said, using my free hand to keep Lass steady.

Then I saw a blaze of short, red hair. Jin.

"I think I see Jin," I said.

"Uh, hey, Jin!" Lass called out.

In the distance, he turned to us, topaz eyes flickering in the dim light. I hobbled over to Jin, Lass in tow.


	62. Chapter 61: Cure the Rotten

Arme was starting to tip over under Lass' weight, who was asleep.

"L-Lass!" Arme cried. Not saying anything, I took Lass, wrapped one of his arms around his neck, and held him up, though with his height, I was half-dragging him.

"Careful with him," Arme said, and I nodded, knowing how much Arme loved Lass. I began to head over to a building, one Sieghart had picked out. It was empty, but nice.

"Uh, where are we going?" Arme asked. I just gestured for her to follow, and she did, though a bit hesitant.

We passed by the entrance, and a pile of bricks, where a wall used to be. The left side of the doorway was still standing, but I went around the pile of bricks. I saw Ronan, where he was left, on one of the beds. I could see his face was twisted in pain.

"Ronan?" Arme headed over to him.

"Agh. . ." Ronan groaned. "Oh, Arme, Lass, you're here. You two can share a bed,right?"

Arme looked a bit nervous, but said, "Y-Yeah."

"Okay. Could you help me?" Ronan asked. "My leg's hurting."

"Sure," Arme said. "Is it still hurting?"

Meanwhile, I set Lass down on one of the beds.

"Of course it is," Ronan said, with a hint of annoyance. "It hasn't healed yet since Sieghart was possessed. Don't think it will for awhile."

"Okay, this may hurt," Arme said.

I plopped down onto an empty bed, and tried to block the noise out. I tried not to respond to any noise I heard, which was most of it. However, I still watched, as there was nothing else to look at, besides the dust, cobwebs, grayed bed sheets, and bricks. There was nothing of interest outside the window.

Arme pressed her hands on Ronan's leg, feeling around for the broken part. Ronan watched, then he let out a small gasp, as Arme found the spot.

"This'll hurt," Arme warned. "Try and think about something."

"Uh, a-alright," Ronan said, sounding a bit nervous.

I was too. Flashes of pink, all of various shades, danced in my head. The soft voice echoed through my mind, but it didn't really help, as I heard Arme say, "Threetwoone," followed by a snap. I opened my eyes just then, to see Ronan jerk a bit, then cringed, eyes shut tightly.

"I swear Sieghart is such a stupid retard sometimes," Arme muttered, as she grabbed some wood and spared cloth. She pressed the wood tightly against Ronan's legs, and wrapped the cloth around the wood and leg. "There."

Ronan looked slightly dazed. "Not like he did it on purpose."

I sat up and rubbed my head, feeling a bit of pain coming on, then opened my mouth slightly. I noticed Arme looking over at me, as if waiting for me to speak.

"Well," I said, "really, I don't think Sieghart would refer to himself as if in third person."

"What, he's been doing that lately?" Arme asked.

"I'm talking about when you were being choked. . . 'Sieghart has so much power. . . It's. . . a bit overwhelming!'" I repeated.

"I remember that, but I thought we freed him!" Arme said.

I coughed slightly. "Uh, no. Kaze'aze practically kidnapped Sieghart."

"Then. . ." Arme said. "If he's still possessed, Elesis is in danger. . ."

"I don't think he is," Ronan said, laying down. "After all, he was turned into a wolf. And he's the only one who calls Lass by his pet name." Lassy.

"Who knows. Kaze'aze isn't dumb," Arme said, though I could see that she hated to admit that.

"If she weren't, she probably wouldn't have gotten transformed into a wolf," Ronan said. Was there really a difference between Kaze'aze and a wolf? Aside from the black magic, that is. . .

"He could've gotten possessed after that though," Arme countered.

"I'm sure Sieghart's not that weak," I grumbled, and laid down.

"Explain the first time then!" I was saved from having to, as Ryan came in just then.

"Hey Ryan," Arme called.

"Hey. . ." Ryan sounded worn out.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"Chasing after Lire who was being chased after some spirits," Ryan explained.

"You didn't catch up to her?"

"The spirits started to chase me and freaked me out."

"I thought Lire liked spirits."

"Yeah, well. . ." Ryan jumped over the bricks and collapsed in one of the beds.

"Someone needs to find Sieghart, Elesis, and Lire. . ." Arme said, flopping down on the bed.

"Where's Sieghart gonna sleep?" Ronan asked. I groaned inwardly.

"He's probably going to shove me off the bed. . ." I grumbled.

"He'll sleep on the floor," Arme said.

"Or shove me on the floor," I added.

"Like I said," Arme said, a bit fiercely, "he'll sleep on the fucking floor whether he likes it or not."

"Too bad we don't have an extra bed. . ." Ronan grumbled.

"It'd save us a lot of sanity," Ryan added.

"I'm not sharing with him," I said.

"I wouldn't either," Arme muttered. "I suppose I'll go look for Sieghart." Arme sounded grumpy now.

"Hey, Arme, I have a question," Ryan said.

"Yes?"

"What's that stench?" Now that he asked, I realized there was some foul odor in the air. Ugh, what was that?

Arme looked nervous as she said, "M-My . . . My hand. . ." I noticed she had one of her hands in her packet.

"Uh, what's wrong with it?" Ryan asked.

"Probably nothing much, it'll be better soon," Arme said.

"Alright," Ryan said, while I said, "Good luck," before falling asleep.

--

I said a quick thanks before I went outside. I saw some glowing in the far, far distance.

"There's Mr. Grumpy, I bet. . ." I grumbled, and went that way. It seemed to take forever, but when I finally found Sieghart, I was surprised, as he was lying on the ground, eyes closed.

"Sieghart?" I said. He didn't respond. "Hey, wake up! And where's Elesis?" Then I noticed the stench. He smelled like the dog! I kicked Sieghart.

"Wake up!" I heard growling in the distance as I shouted.

"Crap. . ." I muttered. "Sieghart, where the hell is your daughter?! Do you not care about her?!" I was currently aware of the growling, but I wasn't sure if I could protect Sieghart. Then I had an idea.

I stuffed the end of my war staff down the back of Sieghart's shirt and started to create some ice.

"Hn. . . Argh!" Sieghart yelped, and sat up suddenly, trying to get the ice out of his shirt. I took out my war staff quickly so that Sieghart didn't break it.

"Where's that stupid dog?" Sieghart asked, looking a bit frantic.

"You got attacked by a dog too?" I said.

"It stank worse than shit, and I passed out because I couldn't take that stench anymore," Sieghart told me. Then he looked around, and looked alarmed. "It took Elesis!"

"Crap!" I said, as Sieghart ran off in the direction of some strong stench.

"Stupid mutt, where are you?" Sieghart yelled. Then the two of us saw a dog dragging Elesis by her hair. There was something odd about her hair though, but I wasn't sure what. . .

"Hey, get off of her, you stupid mutt!" Sieghart yelled as he charged at it, sword drawn, and slashed at it. I think I needed to find a cure for both Sieghart and I.

The dog caught Sieghart's sword in its teeth.

"What the hell?" Sieghart yanked his sword out, then slashed through the dog's body easily, and without mercy. Meanwhile, I managed to pull Elesis aside.

I turned at the sound of a clank, and saw that Sieghart had dropped his sword as it started to deteriorate. "Damn."

"Sieghart, run," I said, "I got her!" Though, I wasn't sure if I could carry Elesis. . .

Suddenly, a few more of the dogs came out of nowhere, and began to chase us. I was about to run, but Sieghart ended picking both Elesis and I up, and ran, though he was carrying us with his arms more, as his hands were kind of dangling.

"Hey!" I protested.

"Like you can run from those things?!" Sieghart said. "Please, spare me."

"Then at least carry us a bit better!" I yelled. "I feel like I'm going to fall!"

Sieghart said nothing, but shifted us so that we were slung over his shoulders.

He ran for awhile before turning into an alleyway, and set us down.

"'Bout time," I grumbled.

"Damn it, my sword. . ." Sieghart said.

"Get a new one," I told him, "or use Elesis'."

"Whatever." Something on him stank.

Sieghart started to pace. One of his gloves fell off, disintegrating. Then I felt a sharp pain in my hand. Lots and lots of them.

"Ow!" I yelped, as I pulled my hand out. Sieghart turned to look.

Holding my hand, I said, "Dammit, I need to find a cure for this. . ."

"Oh, stop complaining," Sieghart grumbled.

"Can't, my hand is literally rotting away!" I snapped.

"Oh, obviously. Elesis' hair can be cut off, right?" Sieghart asked. "The rotting's traveling on her hair."

"Right," I said, and took Elesis' sword out with my non-rotting hand and gave it to Sieghart. "Here, you do it."

Sieghart seemed flabbergasted. "Huh?! Me? Why can't you do it?"

I looked at him suspiciously. "Yes, you. Why, do you want me to accidentally cut her hair off because I can't use a sword?" Sure, it looked easy, but I wasn't experienced, and I only had one hand, while Elesis' sword was a two-handed sword.

"I won't do it," Sieghart said.

"Fine," I snapped, "her head will rot off. I suppose you don't care about your own daughter any longer." I got to him.

"Augh, give it to me!" Sieghart nearly shouted, and snatched up the sword. Crouching next to Elesis, and holding the sword like a regular sword, and not how he wields it, he cut the hair slightly above the rotting. The slice left clean, even ends.

"There we go. . ." I muttered. Why was he so reluctant to cut her hair? I mean, it grows back.

Sieghart stood up, but he was seething, and let the sword drop.

"Oh great, _what now_?" I snapped. Then I noticed the sword was rotting, due to having touched a bit of the rot from Elesis' hair, and the hilt was rotting too.

"Looks like the sword's rotting too. . ." I noted.

Then Sieghart fell to his knees. "If you wanted to be held better while we were running, you'd be asking for a death sentence." He began to laugh weakly, and held his hands out. Both his hands were rotting at a faster rate than mine. "This rotting's contagious." Oh, crap.

"Oh, god," I groaned, feeling sick. "We're going to die, aren't we?"

Sieghart slumped against the wall. "I guess, but I don't know about me. Maybe I'll just be rotting for all eternity. . ."

"We gotta find a cure for this. . ." I said.

"I don't care if you have enough antidote for me," Sieghart said. "Make sure Elesis is safe. If she catches it, forget about me." He closed his eyes, and whispered, "But I want to live."

"Sieghart. . ." He was more thoughtful than I gave him credit for. I began to examine Elesis, making sure not to touch her with my rotting hand. "She'll be fine. . ." I looked up, and noticed he wasn't conscious anymore. Oh no!

"Sieghart!" I cried.

"Eles. . . is. . ." he said weakly. The rotting was up to the his elbow now.

"Oh man. . ." I groaned, and erected a quick barrier, and then ran north, as fast I could.

I was soon in the north. "Where's the hut. . ." There were small voices in the distance, but I ignored those, then I saw the hut in the distance. But then I heard growling from the shadows.

"Oh god. . ." I ran, and heard the sounds of chasing footsteps.

As soon as I reached the hut, I shut the door behind me quickly. There were sounds of scuffling, but they soon stopped.

"Ah, little mage. . . you return. . ." I was greeted. "What issss it, child?"

"W-Well," I said, "these dogs. . . attacked me and a member of my team. . . And now we're rotting. . ."

"I sssssee. . . And you come to me for a remedy. . ."

"P-Please, if you have one. . ." I begged. "The other one that's rotting, he may rot for all eternity. . . And I don't think I could bear for that to happen to him. . ."

"Don't you disssslike him. . .? Wouldn't it be fitting for ssssssomeone as selfissssssh as you sssssee him to be to sssspend the ressst of hissss life assss such?"

"W-What? I-I may dislike him, but it's not like I want him to suffer! And it'll cause Elesis, his daughter, to suffer as well. . ." I explained. "And he's my teammate. . . I care about my teammates. . . no matter how they act. . ." Even if they acted stupid. . .

I was answered by silence, and though I was going to have to leave, and die. However, as I was about to, the shaman said, "Of courssssse. . . Wissssse choice of wordsssss. . . Now, quickly, the remedy. . ."

There was some rustling. I looked around a bit, nervous, but happy.

"Take sssssix sssteps forward. . ." I did so, just as the moon shone through an opening in the roof, and I looked up at it. Looking around, I noticed the hut seemed darker, despite the light of the moon. Then, a female serpent, wrapped in various shawls and cloaks, appeared before me. I noticed a vial of some purple liquid inside of it. Her eyes, they were so hypnotic. . .

The shaman gazed down at me, and then offered the vial to me. The liquid almost seemed to be glowing. "Take it. . . There isssss enough for you and Ssssieghart. . ."

"T-Thank you," I stammered, and took the vial with my normal hand. "A-And. . . Elesis, i-is she okay?" I just had to ask. This shaman had proven to me that she knew things none of us would have ever let anyone know.

"Of coursssse, child. Return, your love issss ssssoon to awaken. Ssssieghart isss suffering, and do not forget to return with Lire and Jin. . ." Jin? Did he leave?

"I-I will. Thank you, ma'am, I'll n-never. . ." I tried not to choke. "I'll never forget you and your kindness." I bowed slightly, and then exited. I heard her say, "Godssssspeed, Arme," as I ran back to Sieghart.

The barrier was still up, luckily, with Elesis and Sieghart inside.

Sieghart's breathing was labored, the rotting having reached his neck.

"Sieghart. . ." I said softly, feeling sorry for him, before I set the vial down. I grabbed my staff and pried Sieghart's mouth open, then set my staff down and poured some of the liquid down his throat. He choked on the liquid, but it seemed the rotting had stopped.

"I wonder if it'll reverse the rotting," I wondered. As if answering me, the rotting parts seemed to regenerate. Pleased that Sieghart would be fine, I drank the remainder of the liquid. It tasted bad. I wasn't sure how to describe it, but I didn't think I'd wanted to anyway.

I kicked Sieghart in the side. "C'mon, wake up." No response, so I kicked him again. Yet again, nothing. I jabbed him with my staff. "Come on already!" Nothing. "Why won't he wake up?!"

"Lire!" someone called. "Sieghart, Arme! Elesis!"

"Jin?!" I cried. "Where are you?"

Jin landed on his feet, having been somewhere up above.

"See any dogs?" I asked.

"Hm? No, why?"

"If you see any, don't let them touch you at all."

"Uh, alright." Jin looked over at Sieghart. "What happened to him?"

"Dog. . ." I answered.

"Oh. . ." Jin picked Sieghart up.

"Jin, could you please take Elesis too?" I asked. "And don't touch the swords," I quickly added.

"Alright," Jin said, and picked Elesis up as well.

I looked at my hand, noticing how it was almost completely back to normal again.

"Did you get touched by one too?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine," I answered.

"Let's get going then," Jin said. "We still need to find Lire. Ryan's crying about it."

"Figures," I sighed. "Hopefully we'll find her soon. I bet she's still being chased."

The two of us walked to the end of the alleyway, and heard some shouting. We looked around, and saw Lire run past, being chased by some hungry-looking ghosts.

"Lire?!" Jin and I cried.

"Holy crap," Jin said.

"Help meeee!" Lire shouted, her cries fading already.

"Damn, when did she become such a fast runner?!" I asked. I mean, she was faster than Lass!

"I can't run after her. . ." Jin groaned. "Lire, get back here!" Lire didn't hear, and disappeared around a corner. "Great. . ."

I sighed. "Take those two back, and I'll try to find her."

"Alright, stay safe," Jin said, and headed back.

I chased after Lire, wondering why those ghosts chose to chase after her.


	63. Chapter 62: Flee

I was hiding behind some boxes, when I heard my name.

"W-W-What?" I answered.

"C'mon." It was Arme. "We need to get back to the others, Ryan's worried about you!"

"B-But the ghosts. . ." I said nervously. "They want to eat my soul. . ." And they even went into great detail, too. . . I shuddered.

"I'll protect you, just come on!" Arme said.

"O-O-Okay. . ." I got up and followed Arme hesitantly. Then I saw more ghosts, and broke out into a full-out run again. I think I ran past Jin, and hid behind some bricks.

"Ugh, Lire?" Arme called.

"Come on," Jin said, "they're not gonna hurt you."

"T-T-They w-w-were going t-to eat m-my s-soul. . ." I said.

"Did they say they were?" Jin asked.

"Y-Y-Yes," I answered.

"'Least we found her," Arme grumbled, as Jin took my arm and dragged me over to Ryan.

"I was so worried!" Ryan cried, and hugged me tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!" He was practically drowning me in tears. I was a bit shaken, so all I did was return his hug.

"Jin, is Elesis alright?" Ronan asked.

"Yes, I think so," Jin answered, at the same time Arme said, "Ryan, at that rate, you'll drown Lire. How's Elesis' hair?"

Jin set Sieghart down on a bed, and said, "It's fine." He went over to Ronan with Elesis.

"I had to get Sieghart to chop off some of Elesis' hair," Arme said.

As Ronan took Elesis from Jin, Ronan exclaimed, "W-What?!" and looked at Elesis' hair.

"It was either that, or her head rotted off," Arme explained.

"Oh. . . I see," Ronan said.

"She needed a haircut soon anyway, with all that hair. . ." Arme grumbled.

Lass groaned, and slowly woke up.

"Lass?" Arme called.

"Arme. . ." Lass looked up. "Is that you. . .? Where are we?"

"We're still in town," Arme answered.

"Huh?" Lass felt around the bed, and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Is it morning yet?" He looked out a window.

"Apparently not. . ." Jin grumbled, before falling asleep on the floor.

All that running wore me out, so I feel asleep quickly.

--

"I hope Elesis wakes up soon. . ." Arme muttered. "She's nothing but a dead-weight right now. I mean, we can just keep carrying her all day long. . ."

"I will if I have to!" I exclaimed.

"You'll get tired," Arme said.

"I'm sure Sieghart will. . ." I said.

"He better not become a dead-weight, too," Arme grumbled.

"That'll be a deader dead-weight. . ."

"So how will we carry both of them?"

"Jin can carry Sieghart. . . I'll carry Elesis. . ."

"Hope you two won't get tired," Arme told me.

I sighed.

"I'm still sleepy," Lass said.

"Sleep with him, Arme," Ryan said, having stopped crying.

"Uhm, I'm not tired," Arme said.

"Really? Hasn't all the activity today worn you out at all?" I could tell Ryan was teasing Arme.

"No, I'm fine," Arme insisted.

"Riiiiight," Ryan said.

"I'm not tired at all!" Arme snapped. I noticed Lass had fallen back asleep.

"Two more," I said, and sighed, as Ryan fell asleep as well.

"I think I'll sleep on the floor," Arme grumbled.

"Why do I suddenly feel like singing?" I randomly said. It was odd. I just sighed, and fell asleep.

I think I woke up earlier than the others, because I heard Arme say, "Ngh. . . go away mommy. . ." Opening my eyes, I saw that Jin was up. I followed Jin's gaze and saw that Lass was gone. Jin went over and stuck his head out of the window and looked around.

Ryan and Lire were asleep together, though Ryan was kind of clinging to Lire, while Sieghart was asleep.

Lire started to squirm, causing Ryan to whine in his sleep. Soon, Lire stood up, slowly. "Uh, where'm I?" Then Jin jumped through the hole in the wall. Hey! Where was he going?! Too bad I couldn't follow, I'd _love_ to know what was going on, but seeing as how I couldn't move much, I fell back asleep.

--

I turned around and saw Lire awake. Then I heard groaning coming from above. I tried to climb up the side of the building.

"Hmph!" I heard Lire go, then more groaning, and the thunk of some sharp objects against brick.

Once I got up there, I saw Lass was sheathing his nodachi, just as Lire got up next to me. Lass looked very tired.

"Lass?" Lire called. Lass sat on the stone roof, silent.

"What's wrong?" I asked, frowning.

"More nightmares. . ." he whispered. Then his voice cracked as he said, "I can't _stand_ it anymore!" He held his head. "I can't sleep. I don't feel safe anymore. . . Although Arme's here, I just can't do it. . ."

"That was a long time ago," I said, "your falling into a coma. It should be fine. It's just a nightmare you get every once in awhile."

"No, it was too real," Lass whispered. "I. . ." He covered his face. "I just can't. . ."

"Lass," Lire said, "nightmares can seem real, especially bad ones."

"I guess you're right," Lass said. "Go back to sleep, I'll be fine. . ." He looked up at the sky, glistening with stars.

"Alright," I grumbled, and turned, herding Lire back to the edge of the building. "C'mon, let's leave him alone."

"Fine, fine," Lire said, sighing. "I worry about you sometimes, Lass." She began to climb down.

I looked back at Lass, and sighed. He returned my gaze with an icy stare. I blinked once, before I glared back at him, and jumped back down.

As soon as I got back, Lire was on Ryan's, bed, so I took Lass' bed, but then moved to the foot of Sieghart's bed, and fell into an uneasy sleep, filled red and pink.

--

I landed on something. "Oof!"

"Ack!"

"S-Sorry!" I yelped, and got off Ryan's chest. I fell on him in my sleep, waking us both up.

Looking around, I saw that Sieghart still hadn't moved one bit, and Lass was still missing. Everyone else was asleep, however. I sighed. "Poor Lass. . ."

"Ow. . ." Ryan got up and leaned against the wall, looking sleepy. "Huh? Speaking of Lass, where is he?"

"Probably still on the roof," I said.

"Why don't you go check on him?"

"I did earlier."

"Hm? Well, this time, I'll come with you. How does that sound?" Wonderful.

"Okay then," I said, and climbed out the window. Looking up the side of the wall, I sighed. "I don't fancy climbing up a wall again."

Ryan dug his. . . What were those? Again? Oh right, those were storm blades. They looked new, too. Anyway, he dug them into the side of the wall, then turned to me. "Hang onto me."

"O-Okay," I said nervously, and hung on tightly, as Ryan began to scale the side of the wall. He hauled himself up and let me down.

"Thank you, Ryan!" I said, and looked around. No Lass. "Great, where is he?"

"What's going on over there?" Ryan asked. Turning, I saw he was looking at the square.

There were people gathering, and they were looking frustrated.

"Uh-oh," I said. "We'd better check it out."

"Just what I was thinking. . ." Ryan muttered, then wrapped an arm around my waist, and jumped off the building, heading towards the commotion. "C'mon!"

"C-Coming!" I yelped.

As soon as we got there, we recognized at least two of the people there, the weapon shopkeeper, and the armory shopkeeper.

"Hey, what's going on!" Ryan yelled.

"We've been robbed!" someone shouted.

"All of my stock is gone except for some toothpicks!" someone else yelled.

"My most expensive sword is missing!"

"My prized armor set is gone!"

"Oh, no. . ." I moaned. "Lass. . ." Why? I thought. . .

"Hey, I remember you!" the armory shopkeeper said, and came up to Ryan. "Your friend stole something from me yesterday!" The attention was now diverted to the two of us. Yikes.

"Huh?!" Ryan said. "Yeah, but we returned all of it!" His look told me he was thinking the same thing as I was; Lass.

"Hey, give me back all of my potions!"

"Yeah, I want my sword back!"

"My father gave me that vase, I want it back, scoundrels!"

"W-We don't have any of your stuff!" Ryan yelped. "Honest!"

"Yeah, right," the weapon shopkeeper said. "We heard what you did. We want all of our stock back!"

"Yeah!" they shouted in agreement.

"B-But we didn't do anything!" I said.

"Well, it might not be you, elf-girl, but we want that tall, silver-haired man!" someone shouted.

"Form 'em over or we will stick a fork through you!"

"Hey!" Ryan shouted.

"Take 'em as hostages!"

"Wait, what?!" Ryan turned towards me.

"Run, Ryan!" I yelled, and ran. I was about to scream when I got picked up from behind, but then realized it was Ryan. He set me on his back and made a mad dash for it.

"Chase 'em!"

"Great, wanted for something we didn't do. . ." I muttered.

"Well," Ryan said between breaths. "We don't know. . . for sure!"

"Well, I meant the two of us," I said.

"I guess. . . they want us. . . since we know Lass. . ."

"Great, wanted because we're his _accomplices_. . ." I grumbled.

"I g-" Ryan began, but then tripped over a chain, attacked to a spiked sphere. "Yow!"

"Ryan!" I cried, as I jumped off his back. As Ryan skidded to the ground, I asked, "A-Are you okay?

Holding his foot up, Ryan said, "Yeah. What the heck is that? A weapon?" He looked around, and saw a figure in the distance, hidden by shadows, moving away from us, slowly.

"Who's there?!" I demanded.

"Let's catch up to them!" Ryan snarled, and the two of us ran after them, but Ryan shot past me and leaped on the person.

"Ah, get off!" they shouted. "Dog breath, get off!"

"Who are you?!" I yelled, running up.

"What does it look like?!" They shoved Ryan off, and I could see a flash of silver hair.

"Lass?" Oh great. "What are you doing?!"

"Nothing, leave me alone!" he yelled. I realized he was wearing a new outfit.

Lass had a silver headband slanted on his forehead, an odd symbol on the metal part. His outfit was mostly blue, trimmed with black and gold. Attached at the shoulders were silver shoulder-guards. He wore a jacket that was short on the front, and long at the back, reaching almost the floor. Around his waist was what looked like a cloak that almost matched his jacket. There was a gem adorning both gloves, and he wore thick boots, and a band was wrapped around his leg, just below the knee. It was a nice outfit; Arme probably bought it for him.

"Lass!" I shouted.

"I said leave me alone!" he yelled.

"What's wrong with you?!" I asked.

Not answering, he drew his nodachi, which was held in a sheath at his side, and swung it at us. What was amazing was that it grew to a large size, and was glowing a bright blue. Then he ran off.

"Get back here!" Ryan shouted, and leaped for Lass again, as I shot four arrows at him, intending to pin him against the wall. However, he disappeared, leaving a log in its wake.

Ryan let out a frustrated growl, and tore the log to shreds.

"Damn, what's wrong with you, Lass?!" I yelled. Looking up, I saw Lass standing on top of a building.

"Nothing's wrong with me, Lire. In fact, I feel better." He narrowed his eyes at us. "I'm leaving, Grand Chase doesn't need me anymore. But I can't say I don't need Grand Chase. . ."

"Then why are you leaving?!" Ryan demanded. Lass said nothing.

"What about Arme?!" I shouted. How could he do this to Arme, of all people?! I knew she wouldn't take this well. She wouldn't at all. . .

"Arme. . ." Lass looked down. "Tell her I'm sorry."

"Do you realize how badly you're going to hurt Arme?!" I yelled at him. "After all she's done for you?!"

Lass picked up the bag and turned away. "If all I'm going to do is hurt her and delay Grand Chase. . . Then leaving me out is necessary."

"You're going to hurt her if you _leave_!" I yelled, frustrated.

"But it'll hurt less. . . for all of us," Lass said.

"No, it won't," I said.

"Enough! I don't want to hear anymore of that!" Lass threw one of his claws at us, but Ryan and I dodged it.

"Stop being so biased!" Ryan snarled. "Get down here, Lass!"

"Shut up, dog breath!" Lass shouted. "I'm going, and you can't stop me, let alone catch me!"

"I'm getting Arme!" I yelled at him, and turned to run, but not before I saw his alarmed expression.

"Stop him Ryan, please!" I yelled over my shoulder. I saw him climb the building and howled, before giving chase.


	64. Chapter 63: Chase

Would I ever forget the day that Lass had said he was leaving us?

Lire burst into the room and shouted Arme's name.

"Huh?" Arme turned to face Lire.

"Lass!" Lire shouted. "He said he's leaving Grand Chase!" It almost hurt to look at Arme's dismayed face.

"What?! No!" Arme cried.

"C'mon! I told Ryan to catch Lass, but I'm not sure if he can!" Lire turned and ran, as fast as she did when chased by hungry ghosts. I was a bit surprised at Arme's speed though.

"What?!" Ronan cried. He let out a cry of pain as he tried to get up. "Wait, ow!"

"Stay here and watch Sieghart," I told him, and ran. I heard him yell, "Damn it, damn it! I hate being crippled!"

I could see the girls in the distance.

Lire stopped after awhile, allowing me to catch up.

"They were around here," she said, looking around.

"Woo!" someone shouted from behind. Lass. He landed in front of them, probably from a jump. When he saw Arme, he froze, but only for a moment, before he ran.

"Lass!" Arme cried. "Where are you going? Please, don't go!" I didn't want to hear Arme like this, she was supposed to be strong!

"At least drop the damned bag!" Ryan growled, and landed in front of us, in wolf form, and ran after Lass.

I was thinking Lass was possessed again by Kaze'aze. Something told me he wasn't, and that was what was worrying me

"I don't want to hurt you!" Lass shouted over his shoulder. "I-" Before he finished, Ryan leaped at him, but Lass turned a sharp corner.

"You're already hurting me!" Arme yelled. I could tell she was getting close to tears.

Ryan snarled and continued his chase. "Come on, he's running out of town!"

The rest of us tried to keep up.

"Lass, please!" Arme shouted.

"I can't!" Lass yelled.

"I don't want you to go, Lass! Please, come back!" Arme's run seemed to be faltering, as if she was about to give up. Well, I wasn't giving up.

Lass stopped suddenly, and Ryan ran right into him. Lass kicked Ryan off, then just stared into the ground. Arme fell down to her knees, now crying.

"The only reason I'm doing this is because I don't want to hurt you Arme," Lass said. "I'm sorry. I'm leaving."

I heard a lot of noise, and turned to see a mob of people, approaching rapidly. Great. . . More to add to this growing problem. And to my headache.

"You're hurting her now!" Lire yelled. "You say you don't want to hurt her, but what you doing right now, then?!"

Lass sighed. "You don't understand. . . You don't understand how I'm feeling right now, Lire. You never will. Ever. Just leave me alone! The only way you can make me come back is by force." Then he dropped the bag and ran, faster than he was before.

"No! Lass! Get your ass back here!" Lire shouted, then shot arrows at him.

"Where are you going?!" Ryan yelled, turning back to himself.

Lass dodged the arrows during Ryan's words, and caught and snapped one arrow in half. Ryan charged at Lass.

Then I realized Arme was gone. That explained why the crying stopped.

"Just leave me alone!" Lass snapped. His voice broke as he spoke, and he started to cry as he dodged Ryan's charge, kicking him in the side. "I'm going to the next town over. You won't find me in jail, if Grand Chase can't even catch me."

Not speaking, Lire shot a multitude of arrows at Lass, who got hit by a third of them, which exploded, but he ran anyway. As he ran in front of a passageway, he was tackled from the side by a blur of purple. Lass let out a cry as he tumbled to the side.

"L-Lass, please. . ." Arme said, words choked by tears.

"Arme, I. . ." Lass hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you. . . I know that this hurts right now. . . for both of us. . . but for you, it'll just fade away in due time. . ." But what about you, Lass?

"I-It'll never fade!" Arme cried. "You're the only one I really love, the one I trust with my life, and now you're just going to leave me like this!"

"Please don't try to convince me," Lass said. "I want to leave. . ."

"Why. . . Please, tell me!" Arme asked.

"I already told you, I don't want to hurt you!" It seemed to be an effort for Lass to speak now.

"you're hurting me now, and you'll hurt me forever!" Arme told him.

"I-i don't want to hurt you the way. . . the way Ronan hurt Elesis. . . that time ago. . ." Lass was now sobbing, about as badly as Arme was.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked.

"I-I. . . I've had these nightmares. . . about me doing. . . horrible things to you. . ." Lass' eyes told how horrible. "I don't want that to happen. . ." He covered his face with one hand.

"T-They're just nightmares. . ." Arme tried to reason. "I-it's not like it-it's real. . ."

"I don't want to explain it. . ." Lass whispered.

"They're not real though. . ." Arme said. "Just. . . Just some images conjured up in your sleep. . ."

"It's not that. . . It's just that sometimes. . . I just. . . want to. . ." His last two words were a whisper, almost too soft to hear.

"Want to. . . what?" Arme dared to ask.

"Do it. . . hurt you. . ." Lass said, voice strained. "But. . . I don't want that chance to come. . ."

"It won't hurt as much as this. . . Please, don't leave. . ." Arme whispered.

"Don't you get it. . .? You don't, do you. . .?" Lass asked.

"Lass. . ." Arme looked down. "I just don't want you to leave me. . . I don't think it can hurt more than this. . ."

Lass said no more. He got onto his hands and knees, but didn't move any further. It seemed he couldn't move any longer, immobilized from his grief and sobbing. Arme slumped over, crying.

"Arme. . ." Lass said. Arme couldn't say anything due to her crying.

I came up behind Lass and grabbed one of his arms. He looked up at me as I yanked him to his feet, and tugged him back to the town so he could give back what he stole.

"Arme, c'mon. . ." Lire said softly.

Ryan came up towards us, and gripped Lass' arm, tightly.

I didn't want to recall most of what happened next.

The citizens of this town almost killed Lass, but luckily, were satisfied that he returned all that he stole. They decided not to drive us out, but we had three days to leave, or else. I wasn't fond of this place anyway, so I was glad.

However, I wished Arme could control how she handled her emotions.

As soon as we went back to Ronan, Sieghart, and Elesis, two-and-a-half dead-weights, Lire sighed. "Lass caused us so much trouble today. . ."

Lass went over to a corner and sat there. Arme went over to him and sat next to him, but it was as if she weren't there at all. Lass didn't seem to make any sign that he knew she was there. She was leaning against him, clearly upset.

Ryan sighed and plopped down onto a bed.

"We better not have anymore dead-weights. . ." Lire grumbled.

"I'm fine, if you mean me," Ryan said.

"No, not you," Lire told him.

"Should I ask what happened?" Ronan asked. I laid down on the bed Lass was on.

"If you want," Lire said.

"Alright, what the hell happened?" Ronan asked.

"Lass was leaving us. . ." Lire explained, "because he said that he'd hurt Arme, but he already was. We caught him and got him to return the stuff he stole, and now he's like this."

Ronan looked over at Lass, who shot back a glare, sharp as daggers. Ronan flinched, then looked away.

Lire sighed. "We better get ready to leave. . . We have three days."

Ronan groaned, then said, "Well, on the bright side, Sieghart moved. A little. . ."

"A little. . ." Lire said thoughtfully. "That's good, I suppose."

"Elesis, why won't you wake up?" Ronan sighed. You could hear the sadness in his voice.

"I wish she'd wake up soon," Lire said.

"Yeah. She needs to eat. . ." Ronan looked like he was hungry as well.

"I think we have some food left." Lire began to search around, then took out some apples. "Found something."

"Food!" Ronan cried. Lire tossed him a couple apples, and he began to eat it hastily. Ryan was given an apple too, who ate it as well. I shook my head as Lire was about to toss me one, and again as she tried again, so she tossed one to Lass, who had looked over for a second before looking away. Catching it, Lass ate it greedily, finishing in seconds.

"Phew, I was kinda hungry," Ryan said, wiping his mouth off.

"No thanks," Arme said, as Lire was about to toss her one.

"Ick. . ." Ronan said.

"You okay, Ronan?" Lire asked, eating an apple herself.

Ronan started choking, trying to breath.

"Crap," Lire muttered, and ran over and began to do the Heimlich.

Ronan soon coughed out a piece of the apple.

"Geez, don't you know not to eat your food so fast?" Lire scolded.

"I was starving!" Ronan complained.

"Still!"

"Well, thank you. . ."

"Just don't do it again." Lire looked around. "Okay, who hasn't eaten yet?"

"The sleeping beauties and Jin," Ryan said.

"Sir, are you hungry?!" Lire said, kicking Sieghart in the side.

"Uh," Ryan said.

"Don't be so hard on him," Arme said flatly.

"Why?" Lire asked.

"Just don't."

"Fine. . ." Lire dropped an apple on Sieghart's chest. "He can eat that when he wakes up."

"So, how are we gonna get out of here?" Ryan asked. "I mean, we have two dead-weights. . ."

"Well, we have to carry 'em out," Lire answered.

"I mean, which way are we heading?"

"Well, we can start by finding someplace safe; we can worry about direction later."

"A'ight, but what shall we do n ow?"

"Get prepared to leave, I suppose."

"Gotcha.""

"Think they'll let us in the shops?" Ronan asked.

"I'm not sure," Lire answered. "Maybe you, Ronan, as you're the Royal Guard Master. . . Even so, that's a big maybe."

"Of course," Ryan said, with a chuckle. "Then again, we could have made his reputation drop after Lass' performance." There was a flicker of spite in Lass' eyes, but it was gone so fast, I thought I had imagined it.

"Okay, who's gonna carry Sieghart?" Lire asked.

"Jin usually volunteers," Ryan said, looking over at me.

"I think we should give him a break," Lire said.

"I'll do it then," Ryan said quickly, not letting me protest. Well, Sieghart was a heavy lump, so I was a bit glad, though guilty.

"Then who can help me get around?" Ronan asked.

"I can," Lire volunteered.

"Alright. . ."

"Wait," Lire said, "who's going to take Elesis?"

"Hm, Lass will," Ryan answered.

"Excuse me?" Ronan sounded a bit nervous.

"Lass, will you?" Lire asked, looking at Lass. He just stared at her blankly. "Lass?" He shrugged. Ryan looked a tad annoyed.

"Will you help carry Elesis?" Lire asked again. Lass didn't answer. "Lass!"

"Hey, answer or I swear I'll skewer you!" Ryan yelled. Lass just glared.

"Just answer!" Even Lire sounded annoyed. Lass didn't answer still. "Fine, be stubborn. Maybe if Sieghart wakes up soon, he can take Elesis."

"I guess," Ryan said.

Lire shoved Sieghart. "C'mon!" He just groaned. "Please, wake up!" He moved slightly in his sleep, but didn't wake up.

Lire sighed. "The big lump will never wake up, will he?"

"Don't say that, you might jinx him!" Ronan said, then added, "Wonder why he's sleeping so long?"

"Probably the potion," Arme said, in that same, flat voice.

"Uhm, if he took it, wouldn't you have too?" Ryan asked. "If so, wouldn't you be sleep also?"

"Well, he had more damage done to him," Arme explained. "Probably wore him out. He should wake up in a few minutes though."

I sighed. This was tiring me out, all this worrying, so I decided to take a quick nap.

There was one good thing, though. My headache was gone.


	65. Chapter 64: Hostage

Ryan frowned as both Lass and Arme fell asleep, and Jin.

Sieghart groaned again, and shifted slightly.

"Sieghart?" I called.

He was shaking his head, as if trying to pull himself out of a dream, so I shook him. He stopped moving, but then opened his eyes. "Lire. . .?"

"Sieghart?"

"Where am I. . .?" he asked, sounding a bit dazed.

"You're with us," I told him.

"What happened while I was unconscious. . .?" Sieghart closed his eyes again, though stayed awake.

"Lass tried to run, was all," I said.

He took a deep breath, purple starting to emanate from him, but it faded away.

"How do you feel right now?" I asked. He lifted a hand and opened his eyes. "Better. . ."

"Good. . ." I said. "What happened to you guys anyway? Arme didn't tell us much."

"Ugh. . ." Sieghart groaned, and didn't answer. Picking up the apple, he began to eat it.

"Hopefully we find some more food soon, we're all out now," I said to myself.

"Eh?"

"Oh, nothing, just thinking out loud."

"Well, since curiosity has your eye, I'll tell you what happened," Sieghart said. He took another bite out of the apple as I sat on a bed. "Well, I was looking for you guys, but I kinda got lost. I still had Elesis with me, of course, and I wouldn't let anything near her. . . although I stopped to talk to the spirits once in awhile." I shuddered, remembering the hungry ghosts that were after me.

"However," Sieghart continued, "after a while, I saw a dog. It was even uglier than that Kaze'Mutt. Anyways, soon there were more in the distance. I, of course, approached them, but their smell was worse than rancid. I dropped Elesis and got dizzy, and they attacked me. I dodged them, but I caught one. It breathed in my face, and passed out.

"Arme woke me up and I found that they took Elesis," he said with contempt. "The stupid things rot almost everything they touch. They were dragging her by her hair, thank goodness, so by the time we rescued her, we only had to cut her hair short." Sieghart sighed. And to think I ran over the tail of one. . . I hoped no one had noticed I had new shoes on.

"Arme's hand was infected and both of mine were," Sieghart continued. "However, my rotting had spread faster than hers." I shuddered at the thought of rotting.

Sieghart looked sad, but only for a moment, before he continued. "After awhile, the rotting made it up to my elbows, and Arme left me, a forcefield protecting both Elesis and I because I was crippled, and both Elesis' weapon and mine were deteriorating. By the time Arme got back, the rotting was in my lungs. She gave me something and then I passed out."

"Y-Your lungs?" I said nervously. Sieghart nodded and finished his apple. I looked over at Elesis, and sighed a bit.

"Well, what now?" Ronan asked after the story. I realized he was silent the whole time.

"Like I said before, get ready to leave," I told him.

"We'll need to go into town and buy some supplies," Sieghart said.

"Uh." Ronan looked at me.

"How about we, uh, just find food instead?" I suggested.

"What's wrong with my idea?" Sieghart asked.

"Nothing, it's just. . ." I hesitated. "I don't think we can really go into town and just buy things. . ."

"What do you mean?" Sieghart demanded.

"Uhm, we're not exactly wanted in town anymore," I explained.

"And why's that?"

Ronan scratched his head nervously.

"Something happened?" I shrugged.

"Tell me. . ." Sieghart grumbled.

"Uhm, I forgot?"

Sieghart looked at Ronan.

"Uh, I dunno, I was here all the time!" Ronan protested. I scratched my own head a bit.

"L-Look, just forget about it!" I said, seeing Sieghart's angry look.

"Uh, yeah!" Ronan added.

"Well, since you two are obviously trying to avoid the discussion, I assume it's someone that you want to protect," Sieghart said. Uh-oh.

"T-Trust me, it's nothing bad!" I was trying to convince Sieghart, but was failing.

"What was that about Lass running away?" Sieghart asked suddenly.

"He was just trying to leave us, that's all!" I answered.

"Is that all?"

"Uhm." I looked over at Ronan.

"Don't look at me, I'm crippled!" he whispered to me.

"I-I know!" I whispered back.

"And cripples know nothing!" Ronan added.

"L-Let's just start getting things together to leave. . ." I said.

"Lire!" Sieghart shouted.

"What?!" I yelped.

"Tell me. Who. It was."

"It's nothing! No one's hurt because of it, even!" I practically yelled. Oh man, that was such a lie. I resisted glancing over at Arme.

Sieghart closed his eyes for a few seconds, and sighed. "Fine, I'll stop asking you." I let out a sigh of relief, a little too soon, though, as he continued, "I'll ask Jin when he wakes up." Sieghart got up from the bed. Crap.

"Until then, shall we get ready for departure?" he suggested, almost too cheerily.

"R-Right," I said.

"Uh, I'd love to help but I'm. . . just gonna stay here," Ronan said. Then I noticed Ryan, who was hiding behind a pile of bricks.

"Ryan? What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shh!"

"Oh, Ryan, there you are," Sieghart said.

"Oh, uh, hi Sieghart," Ryan said nervously. Crap, was Ryan hiding? Oops. . .

"What are you doing?" Sieghart asked.

"Nothing, just. . . uh. . . stuff?" Ryan said.

"Why don't we go to town, hm?" Sieghart said. "I'm sure the citizens really won't mind since none of us did anything, right Lire?" I could tell he was enjoying this.

"Well, uh. . ." I hesitated.

"Hmm?" Sieghart glanced over at me.

"I'm tired, so, uh, I'll just stay here," I said, faking a yawn.

"Alright, I'll bring Ryan with me," Sieghart said.

"Oh, bu-" Ryan began, before he was grabbed by the collar. Immediately, I grabbed Ryan's leg.

"Eh?" Sieghart looked at me with an evil, yet knowing, look. "What's wrong, Lire?"

"I want to take a nap with Ryan!" I yelped. Ryan looked relieved at having an excuse.

"Alright," Sieghart said. "I guess that leaves me with one person. . ."

"No!" Ronan yelled and tried to crawl out the window.

"Hey, he's crippled!" I shouted.

"Oh, I'm sure it won't hurt that much when I grab him," Sieghart said with a shrug, and grabbed Ronan by the ponytail and dragged him out the door.

"Help meee!" Ronan yelled. "Sadist!" Sieghart whacked him. "Ow!"

"What if Elesis woke up and found Ronan missing?!" I asked, chasing after the two.

"Well, you'd tell her that he's alright," Sieghart said. "Her daddy's taking care of his son-in-law to-be."

"S-She won't believe that. . ." I said.

"She'll have to," Sieghart grumbled, and continued dragging Ronan along. "Besides, I thought you were tired?"

"Uhm, I am, but Ronan's injured!" I cried.

"Aw, we can get him medicine in town," Sieghart said.

"His _leg_ is broken!" I protested. "Medicine won't help that quickly!"

"Pain reliever," Sieghart countered.

"It you strain his leg, it won't heal well!" I countered back.

"Alright then then," Sieghart said, and dropped Ronan. I was relieved at first, until Sieghart grabbed me and slung me over his shoulder. "I'll just take you captive."

"What?!" I cried. "Help!"

"Are you just gonna leave me here?!" Ronan yelled.

"Ah, you'll be fine," Sieghart said. "After all, you're the Royal Guard Master."

"I'm crippled, that doesn't mean anything!" Ronan cried.

"Well, I'll strain your leg if I take you along. I'm sure Lire won't mind." Of course I did!

"Help!" I shouted. "Ryan!"

"Hey. Hey! _Hey_!" Ronan yelled.

Ryan probably didn't hear me, so I started screaming. Sieghart set me down, put his hands on my shoulder and gripped them tightly. Then he shook the crap outta me. I screamed even more, and started feeling dizzy.

Sieghart stopped. "Alright? Enough of that crying!" He then dragged me into town, with me screaming. I heard Sieghart humming, that sadist!

I stopped screaming when a kid pointed at me and said, "Mommy, look, it's that girl who was with the th-" He was stopped by his mother, who scolded him. "It's rude to point and accuse, darling. Go back inside, it's not safe."

I was seething a bit.

"Let's see, miscellaneous shop. . ." Sieghart murmured.

Suddenly, I tried to make a run for it, but I got tripped up. I let out a cry. I heard a giggle and saw the child run back inside his house. Then Sieghart began dragging me by the foot.

"Sheesh, can't treat you like a companion, can I?" he scolded, then stopped in front of the miscellaneous shop. "Actually, I need to get a new weapon."

"Then go get one then," I muttered. He dragged me with. "Let the fucking hell go of me. I don't want to come along! I want a nap!" I was ignored.

"Here we are." Pulling me to my feet, he yanked me through the doorway. "Come on." I was grumbling.

"Hello, how may I be of-" the weapon shopkeeper began, but stopped when he saw me.

"Let me go already, Sieghart!" I hissed at him.

"I need a sword," Sieghart said casually. "You know, ones that Gladiators use?"

"You sword's the same as Elesis' but held differently," I muttered.

"Do you have any in stock. . .?" Sieghart asked, then squinted. "Elesis' deteriorated as well. I guess I'll get two." I was still trying to break free of my captor's grasp.

"Are you with her. . .?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Yes, I am," Sieghart said, and I screamed, "I'm your fucking hostage!"

"That's what you deserve, thief!" the shopkeeper spat at me.

"I did _not_ steal anything!" I yelled.

"Yeah, right, like I'll believe that!"

"Why the hell would I even steal any of this?! I don't use any of it!"

"Alright, you might not have, but your little friend you work with damned did!"

"What friend. . .?" Sieghart asked.

"Oh, so not I'm accused of helping him steal?!" I demanded, ignoring Sieghart. "I thought you were at least reasonable, but I guess not. This stupid town is nothing but crap."

"I-" the shopkeeper began, but Sieghart interrupted. "Excuse me, swords please?"

The shopkeeper glared at him, but didn't say anything, as Sieghart looked like he was about to murder someone.

"I still don't see why we came to such a dingy place anyway. . ." I grumbled.

The shopkeeper said nothing as he went to the back of his shop. He came back a few minutes later and handed some well-wrapped swords over to Sieghart.

"You better check the swords first. . ." I muttered.

Sieghart took the wrapping off one sword and examined it. He jabbed it into the wooden floor before repeating with the second. "Fine, here." He handed over some gold to shopkeeper.

"Can we go now?!" I growled.

"Of course. Hold this." Sieghart gave me a sword, which I took grudgingly.

He tugged me out of the store with him, and then let go of me, shoving me ahead.

"Go on, I got my answers," Sieghart said. Then more darkly, "And you better hide him well. . ."

"I can't imagine how Elesis will react if you harm Lass," I said. "After all, he's one of her friends, and not to mention how Arme'll feel."

"But is he yours anymore?" Sieghart asked. "Can you actually say you trust him, after what he's done?"

"If Arme still trusts him, that's good enough for me," I spat.

"Well, you better ask the rest of the guys about that too," Sieghart murmured, then turned and went off to the armor shop.

"You wouldn't believe how much some of us trust each other," I murmured, then headed back.

Ronan was still on the ground.

"Ronan?" My voice was filled with surprise. "Why didn't you crawl back?"

"I don't know. . .?" he answered.

I sighed. "Here." I helped him up.

"Thanks." Ronan leaned on his good leg.

Sighing again, I said, "Sieghart's going to harm or kill Lass."

"How'd he know?!" Ronan cried.

I sighed yet again. "It's a long story."

"Ah, save it, let's get back," Ronan said.

"Elesis won't like this. . ."

Ronan sighed this time.

"You remember how devoted she is to her friends, right?" I asked, then realized how stupid the question was. "Oh, of course you know that." Ronan nodded.

"Do you think Elesis could stop Sieghart from hurting Lass?" I asked.

"If she would wake up, maybe. . ." Ronan answered. I sighed and nodded.

As I helped Ronan waddle back in, I noticed someone was at the window. Someone with bright, red hair.

"E-Elesis?" I called.

She turned around. "Huh?"

"Elesis?!" Ronan cried out. Then, seeming to forget that his leg was broken, he ran over to Elesis and hugged her, tightly.

"Ack! R-Ronan!" Elesis squeaked.

"You're awake!" I cried and ran over to join the hug.

"G-Guys. . . You're ch-choking me. . ." Elesis managed to say.

I let go. "W-When did you wake up?!" I asked.

"Dunno," she answered, shrugging. "A few minutes ago, I guess."

"I'm so happy!" Ronan exclaimed.

"D-Don't try to choke me to death next time," Elesis said.

"S-Sorry," Ronan said, as Elesis leaned against him. "You're so warm. . ."

"I was so worried. . ." Ronan murmured, holding Elesis to him.

"I'm sorry. . ." Elesis said, and closed her eyes.

"It's fine, I. . ." Ronan hesitated. "I'm the one who should be sorry. . ."

"No, don't be. . ."

"Oh. . . I missed you. . ."

"I did too. . ." How mushy.

"You missed a lot during your slumber," Ryan broke in.

"How long was I asleep?" Elesis asked.

"Quite awhile, that's for sure," I answered.

"I'm just glad you're okay. . ." Ronan said.

Elesis nodded slightly, her eyes still closed, before her breathing seemed to slow.

"Elesis. . .?" Ronan looked at Elesis. It seemed she was asleep again. "Ah, I hope this isn't an unnatural sleep. I nodded slightly in agreement. "In fact, she didn't even eat anything, did she?"

Ronan was silent for a moment. "Ah, no. . . She didn't."

I looked over at Ryan. "Did she eat anything while we weren't here?"

"Uhm, well, we _did_ run out of food," Ryan said.

"Oh, right," I said. "Guess we should prepare to leave soon so we can find more."

"Uh, Sieghart. . ." Ryan started.

"Let's just leave him," I said.

"You shouldn't hold a grudge, Lire," Ronan told me, then whispered so only I heard, "I heard it's bad for your skin."

"I'm not!" I exclaimed. "I'm fearing for Lass' safety!"

"Yeah, well. . ." Ronan started, but stopped when a breeze passed. It brought along a faint trace of purple aura. Oh crap.

"Crap," Ronan said.

"Uh-oh," Arme added.

Elesis sneezed and sat up. "What the hell was that? Is that purple fog I'm seeing?"

"Uh, no?" Ryan answered. He kicked Jin awake.

"Is that father?" Elesis asked.

Jin got up, a little woozy. "Huh. . .?"

"Craaaaap," I said.

"Get Lass and run, Jin!" Ryan cried.

Suddenly alert, Jin grabbed Lass, who was still asleep, and jumped out the window. Ryan took out his storm pike.

"Sieghart's here to kill Lass!" Ronan yelled, and he got up and wobbled over to the window.

"Wait, what?!" Elesis cried. Arme sighed. Ryan laughed a bit, nervous.

"Shut up!" Ronan snapped, then stuck his head out the window. I took a peek and saw Sieghart, not that far away.


	66. Chapter 65: New Weapons

Elesis made her way outside.

"H-Hey, Elesis!" Ronan called to her.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked, turning around.

"It's not safe. . ." he murmured.

"Do you really think my father would kill me?" Elesis asked.

"Uhm, good point," I said, coming outside. "Where are you going?!"

"To find Lass," Elesis answered.

"We'll try to hold him off, then!" I told her.

"More like you. . ." Ronan grumbled as he took out a brand-new tyrfing.

Sieghart was soon here, and stopped a yard or two away from Ronan and I. Elesis had already left.

"So, you're going to try to stop me?" Sieghart asked, a malicious grin on his face.

"Well, I am," Ronan said, "but I'm pretty sure Ryan can take you. What?!

"Uh, yeah!" I said, nervous.

"Ryan, be careful!" Lire called from behind.

"I'm no mood to play with children!" Sieghart growled, and began advancing quickly.

"Ah?!" I cried, and shot out three bursts of energy towards Sieghart, as Ronan tried to get out of the way. Lire shot out an array of arrows.

Both our attacks struck Sieghart, but he kept advancing.

"I don't need to waste my time on you!" Sieghart snarled.

"Oh yeah?!" I cried, and thrust my pike at Sieghart, only to get dodged and tripped.

"Hey, that's dirty!" Ronan cried from somewhere.

Lire shot out an arrow towards Sieghart, glowing green, but he simply knocked it down. I got up and kicked Sieghart's feet out from under him.

"Argh!" he cried out, and fell to the ground as Lire shot out four arrows, pinning Sieghart to the ground. However, he slipped out of his jacket and ran towards the building.

"Hey, get back here!" I cried and gave chase. Lire, meanwhile, let loose another round of arrows, but Sieghart cut them to pieces as he entered the building.

"Good thing no one's in there!" I said.

"Except Arme. . ." Lire said.

"Oh crap!" Great.

Lire ran in as Ronan tried to follow. I picked him up and ran inside, and found that Arme actually wasn't inside. However, Sieghart was walking through a new hole in the wall.

"Darn!" I cried. "Ronan, stay here!" I put Ronan down onto a bed.

"No problem," he said. Just then, the bed next to him was crushed by falling bricks.

"Or not?! The place is collapsi-" I began, before something hit me on the head, successfully knocking me out.

"A-Are you okay, Ryan?" I was asked, seemingly hours later.

I looked around. "Oogh. . . What happened. . ."

"You got hit on the head with a brick. . ." Lire told me.

"Man, that hurt. . ." I grumbled, rubbing the back of my head. My fingers brushed against a lump, and I winced.

There was a loud explosion.

"Oh no!" I cried. "He could have found Lass!" I stood up dizzily.

"R-Ryan! Stay here, I'll go look," Lire said, before running off. I leaned against the wall and shouted, "Stay safe!"

--

A large spear whizzed by me.

"Holycrap," I cried, and barely dodged it.

Sieghart appeared from out of nowhere, and snatched the spear out of the air. That was his?!

He grunted as a staff, not a wand-staff, and struck him twice. Sieghart flinched.

"I'm a bit rusty, but practice makes perfect!" I saw Jin.

"Jin?" I squeaked with slight fear.

"Lire?" He turned to me. "Is that you?"

"Yes!" I cried. "What are you doing?!"

"Obviously trying to fight Sieghart," he answered.

"Where's Lass?!" I asked. Hopefully, he wasn't hurt!

"Don't worry, he's safe. He-" Sieghart lunged at Jin recklessly. Jin dodged, whacking the side of Sieghart's head with the staff. He fell to the ground, but was back up in a few seconds.

"Yah!" Jin yelled, and charged. Sieghart dodged at the last second and kicked Jin to the side and began to slash his sword at him. Jin managed to block some of the slashes with his staff.

"Hyah!" Sieghart cried, and shot a pillar up from the ground when he stabbed his spear into the ground.

"Argh!" Jin fell to the ground after getting hit from the pillar, which disappeared into the ground. He gripped his staff and stood back up.

"Jin!" I cried, worried.

"I'm fine. . ." he grumbled.

"Give up!" Sieghart growled.

"Never!" Jin shot back.

"Do you want to die?!"

"Do _you_?!"

"I'd like to see you try. . ." Sieghart lunged at Jin suddenly, his spear's tip aimed at Jin.

"Huh?!" Jin raised his staff quickly, deflecting the spear to the side, but it slashed the side of his abdomen. I could tell Jin couldn't fight for much longer.

"I said give up before I make you swiss cheese!" Sieghart sneered.

"I-" Jin began, before Sieghart yelled, "No use!" Then he turned and swiped at me. I ducked, and lost the tips of some of my hair. I saw Jin jump on Sieghart's back and began to pound at him with the staff, leaving me to run a bit from the distracted Sieghart.

"Get off!" Sieghart snarled, then fell backwards, on purpose, landing on Jin. "Okay. . ."

"Hey?!" Jin cried as Sieghart grabbed his hand. Then Sieghart grabbed his head and slammed his head against Jin's. Er. . .

Jin let out a grunt before passing out.

"Damn, I shouldn't have done that. . ." Sieghart said, now dizzy. Stupid moron. . . He fell on his face.

I managed to drag Jin to safety, at least for awhile, and then ran out and began to search, hoping Sieghart had made himself too dizzy long enough to fight again for awhile.

"Lass, where are you?" I cried. Then I heard some snoring. It seemed to be coming from a dumpster, so I checked. Lass was inside, sleeping. I was about to make some remark before a rat jumped out and lodged itself onto my face.

"Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!" I shrieked.

"Who's there. . .?" someone asked, just as another rat leaped onto my shoulder and crawled into my hair.

"Help me!" I yelled. I could feel the rats' cold feet against my skin. Oh god, get them off!

I tried to get the rat out.

"Huh? Where am I? What's up? What are you doing?" I was asked.

"There's a rat in my hair!" I yelled, and ripped the rat off my face. It's claws scratched my face a bit. Great, I was probably gonna get an infection.

"Huh?" Lass looked at me a bit blankly. Then the rat that was in my hair jumped at Lass, but I impaled it with my arrow. I let the lifeless body fall into the trash.

"Stupid rodent!" Lass growled as I ruffled my hair a bit.

"Say, where am I?" Lass asked. "And why am I in a dumpster?"

"Well, you're here 'cause of Sieghart," I said. Well, at least I thought he was.

"Eh?" Lass looked like he didn't understand.

""He. . . wants to kill you," I told him hesitantly. Lass simply frowned.

"He's using a spear with his sword now," I continued.

"That's even more dangerous. . ." Lass looked around. "Where is he?"

"Well, the idiot used his head as a weapon and conked himself out for a bit." I resisted the urge to laugh at the stupidity.

"Ah, I see."

"C'mon, let's get you someplace safe."

I waited patiently as Lass hauled himself out of his hiding place.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, uhm, yes," he murmured.

"Okay, let's go," I said, and looked around. "I don't see anybody. . ." Then I noticed Lass looked a bit. . . deprived. Of nutrition, that is.

"You okay, Lass?" I asked.

"I'm fine!" he snapped.

"W-Well, I was just wondering!" Jeez, no need to get mad.

Lass muttered something, and I sighed. "Let's just go." I tried to ignore how pale Lass looked.

"I don't see Sieghart, which is good. . ." I murmured. I spoke too soon.

"Hyah! Die!" Sieghart launched himself out of the shadows. Lass was too stunned to move.

"Don't you dare, Sieghart!" Wait, was that. . .? I was answered by a blur of red colliding with the hulking black figure.

Sieghart skidded to a stop and tumbled forward.

"Whoa!" I cried and leaped back. Lass was still frozen in shock.

"Lass, snap out of it!" I yelled at him. He backed away, and began to run.

"Get back here!" Sieghart cried, on the ground.

"If you want to kill Lass, kill me first," Elesis said, sitting on Sieghart's back."

"What?!" Sieghart cried in dismay.

"You heard me," Elesis said calmly. Sieghart said nothing.

"You seemed much more keen on killing one of my good friends," Elesis stated.

I saw Sieghart's rage die down a bit. "I don't trust him."

"I do."

I realized Lass was still here, and he wasn't looking at any of us.

Sieghart growled. "You don't know what he's done."

"I can't really blame him." Elesis shrugged a bit.

"What do you mean?!" Sieghart demanded.

"One's past can affect one's present."

"Point?!"

"He has been possessed so that he was forced to kill, forced to lie, forced to do so much bad to this world, and it wasn't his fault."

Lass' expression seemed to darken.

"Lass?" I called. He didn't answer. Instead, he just turned and walked away.

"I think I turned out so brash, so. . . hot-headed, because I was left with no parents after the war," Elesis continued. I wonder, what had happened to her, to change her?

"It's not _my_ fault!" Sieghart yelled. "Things happened, things you wouldn't understand!"

"It's not my fault either that I have Lass as a friend."

"He's dangerous. . ."

"That was Kaze'aze's influence. Even now, she might have a bit of her spirit lingering inside of him."

"Which is why he should be put out of his misery. . ." Sieghart muttered.

"And make the rest of us suffer as well?"

Sieghart got up, shoving his daughter off of him. Elesis rolled to her side.

"Where'd he go?" he asked, dusting himself off.

Elesis sat up. "Dunno."

Sieghart went off in the direction he last saw Lass. Elesis followed. I wasn't sure where Lass had went, but hopefully he would stay hidden.


	67. Chapter 66: Lassy

"Why are you following me?" father asked.

"To make sure you don't harm Lass," I simply answered.

He rolled his eyes, and turned away from me.

"Won't be my fault if everyone goes against you," I added.

Father muttered something and rubbed his head, not looking back at me.

"I hope Lass had the sense to go and hide somewhere." I was just speaking my thoughts out.

"Hey, get off!" I looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Ryan was trying to pry Lass off of him. Wonder what happened?

"Get off, Lass!" Ryan cried.

"Mrrph mrrr sshhhmmm!" Lass cried, voice muffled. Ryan's hand was covering Lass' face.

"Ah. . ." Sieghart pulled out his lance and sword. Glaring at him, I took out my spear and stuck it between Ryan and Lass and smacked Lass off.

"Ow!" Lass yelped, having been flung into the wall.

"Sorry Lass," I said.

"Eh. . . eh. . . Keep him away from me." Lass was looking at my father.

"I'll try," I told him. No promises though. Father had a way of getting past me a lot.

"That's all you _can_ do!" Sieghart growled, and lunged. However, I stuck myself in his path. I knew he couldn't bring himself to harm me. He stopped, as I hoped, but jumped over me, a bit clumsily. Turning around quickly, I saw that he ran into Ryan.

"Gotcha!" Ryan cried, as a large shockwave spread out. I instinctively ducked, but I still got flown into by my now-flying father.

"Hey!" I cried.

"My bad!" Ryan shouted at me. "L:ass, get behind me!" Lass didn't respond. "Lass?" He made a run for it. "L-Lass?!"

"Get back here, thief!" father yelled.

"Dammit. . ." I muttered.

My father got up and began to chase Sieghart, but I tripped him with my spear, causing him to fall back to the ground. Meanwhile, Ryan went off after Lass.

"Get _off_!" I was told, when I stepped onto father's back.

"Make me," I said. He started to emit some of his aura, so I continued. "So you'd kill even me to kill Lass, right?"

He hesitated. "I don't trust him."

"What about me?" I asked. "I trust him, that's not good enough."

He didn't answer, but flipped over and grabbed my ankle pulling me to the ground.

"Crap!" I yelped. Standing up, he placed a food on my stomach.

"Fine, I'm your prisoner, do with me what you will," I said. His gaze hardened and he raised his spear, preparing to strike. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see the strike. There was the loud sound of metal hitting gravel near my ear. I felt a very small shot of pain on my cheek.

Opening one eye slightly, I saw that the spear's blade was to the right of my head. The cut felt as if it was just a paper-cut.

"A paper-cut?" I murmured. Looking up, I couldn't see my father's eyes, so I couldn't read his expression, but he was gritting his teeth.

"I don't want to lose you, Elesis. . ." he whispered, so softly, that I almost didn't hear. "It. . . saddens me. . . that you'll grow up. . . and leave me alone. . ." Suddenly,he turned around, so I couldn't see his face. "I wish I weren't immortal sometimes. I have to see the ones I love so much pass away. . . and I'm just. . ."

"Do you wish. . . that sometimes you weren't immortal?" I asked softly.

"Yes. . ." he answered, with a pause.

"If you weren't though. . . then where would I be?"

"I know that!" he snapped. Then more softly, "It's just, I don't. . . want to see you two pass away. . . I'll just be alone. . ." His last words were so soft, I thought he never said anything, but I knew he did.

"May I get up?" I asked hesitantly. He took his foot of my stomach, and got up. I walked in one direction.

"Where are you going. . ." he asked me flatly, as if giving up.

Turning around, I said, "I don't want to lose you either, father. Please, don't endanger yourself by making us your enemy." I started to head off again. At first, I thought that was it. For the moment, but then. . .

"This never happened!" he shouted at me, and I smiled.

"Of course not!" I shouted back. "After all, I love you, father!"

"I love you too. . ." he said softly, and I realized he had caught up to me. "Now if you'll excuse me. . . I'm going to find Lass."

Well, that meant I had better find Lass. And quickly.

I found them, but father had found them first. Lass was in the process of smushing Ryan's face, and father was in the process of snatching Lass. Oh crap.

Father kicked Ryan away, then shoved Lass against the wall, holding him against it. So, I tackled my father, but he simply shoved me away. "Stay put!" I got back up, ignoring him, as he put his own weapons away and took one of Lass' knives. Then he lowered his head next to Lass'.

"Listen, Lassy," he hissed. "I'm not going to kill you this time, because of one person: my daughter. You better be grateful she actually trusts you, or you'd be dead. I'm not going to kill anyone from Grand Chase, but the next time you do something like that, I'll break both of your legs." Lass looked terrified.

"Hey!" I cried, having heard it all. Sure, Lass wouldn't die, but broken legs? That would be hell to deal with.

Father twisted the knife into Lass' leg, causing him to cry out in pain, before turning to catch me, letting go of Lass. I felt a little choked as he wrapped his arms around me to keep hold of me, but then his grip loosened slightly. His face was expressionless, but his hold turned out to be a hug. It surprised me at first, but I relaxed slightly, and with a slight smile, tried to hug him discreetly.

He didn't give me the chance as he suddenly picked me up, swung me around, and set me down again. Clearing his throat, he kicked Lass and yelled, "Get it?!"

"Ow!" Lass cried. "I get it! You didn't have to stab me!"

I coughed once and said, "You better get that seen to, Lass."

Ryan helped Lass up, only to be told, "I don't need your help, dog-breath!"

"Shut up, stupid!" Ryan snapped.

"Quit complaining, Lass," I said, to be answered with grumbling.

"Take him back to the place we were staying at," my father ordered. "I'm sure the mattresses will suffice."

Ryan started walking, leaving Lass to limp after, growling. I followed from behind, while father brought up the rear. The far rear. I could hardly see him.

"I see Lire," I said, to break to silence.

Lire waved as she came up to us, and asked, "What happened to Lass?" Then, noticing father in the very back, said, "I can guess, actually."

Ryan nodded slowly as Lass limped past into the room, followed by father, who had somehow caught up quickly.

I followed in quickly, and saw Arme was lying on the bed Lass had used. When Lass saw Arme, he stopped.

"Hey Lass. . ." Arme greeted softly, not turning to look at him. Lass looked at her once, then at a pile of rubble near his feet that used to serve as a wall. Then Arme stood up and sat laid herself down in a corner.

"Huh? What's your issue?" father asked.

"Nothing, Sieghart," Arme answered icily. I wondered, what was she thinking of while we were away? She seemed more upset. Sometimes, I wish I wasn't asleep so often.

I jerked my head up at the sound of clattering metal, seeing that father had dropped his weapons to the floor. Meanwhile, Ryan collapsed on a bed, Lass sitting on the floor next to it.

"Hey Lass, aren't you gonna get that wound treated?" Ryan asked. "You haven't even tried to stop the bleeding."

Silent, Lass looked down, a dark stain on his pant leg.

"Oh, Lass!" Lire cried out. "Arme even got that outfit for you!"

"I. . . uh. . ." Lass glanced over at Arme tiredly. She seemed to be staring into the wall. "Arme. . ." Suddenly, Lass collapsed, probably from blood loss.

"Lass!" Lire yelped. "Great. . . Arme?" Arme didn't seem to paying any attention to anything. Sighing, Lire dug around for some gauze and began to treat his wound a bit.

"Uh, Lass!" Ryan shouted. "Wake up!" Just then, Ronan crawled into the room. He used the wall to help himself stand up, but then Ryan threw a rock at him.

"Ow!" Ronan yelped, the rock hitting his head. Both Ryan and Lire laughed a bit, and I glared at Ryan, though I doubt he noticed.

Ronan tossed a glowing chip onto Ryan's laugh. Still laughing, Ryan noticed it, then yelped as the chip exploded in a crackle of white-and-blue light. I laughed a bit at that.

"Ryan, are you okay?!" Lire asked worriedly. Ronan was chuckling to himself.

"Just peachy. . ." Ryan grumbled, his face a tad burnt. Lire tried to dust the ash off. I wondered how dust chips fried? I thought it was just magical energy, but then again, I knew nothing 'bout magic.

"Don't pick on a cripple!" Ronan called.

"How's Lass?" Ryan asked.

"He's stopped bleeding now," Lire answered.

"What's up with Arme?" Ryan whispered.

"Not sure," Lire whispered back.

"What she did really pissed me off!"

"What exactly did she do again?"

"She neglected Lass completely! He could've died if you didn't do anything. . ."

"I think she's still upset. . ."

"Upset enough to let him die?"

"Well, maybe she just needs some time to recover."

"From what?! Lass' betrayal?"

"Wouldn't it hurt if I betrayed _you_?!"

"But I'm sure you wouldn't leave me to die! Maybe she doesn't love Lass the way I thought she did. . ." Good thought, Ryan. Maybe Arme didn't.

"Don't say that!" Lire hissed. "She could be more upset than we realize!"

"And how?"

"Well, we're all different, y'know?"

"Yeah, well. . . I still think that it was unreasonable."

"Maybe she thinks Lass doesn't love her anymore. . . And maybe that's true. . ."

"Well, Lass _does_ seem to be giving her the cold shoulder."

"I just wish Lass would. . . would. . . quit being so stupid!" Lire looked like she wanted to smack Lass.

"Maybe he's going emo!" Ryan joked. "I saw him eyeing black dye before the incident!"

"He better not!"

"Maybe we should ask him how he's doing? And by 'we' I mean you."

"What are you whispering about?" father asked suddenly.

"Nothing!" Ryan yelped in surprise.

"Er, yeah!" Lire added.

"I'm gonna take a rest!" Ryan blurted out, then rolled over onto the bed, and pretended to sleep. Lire laid down next to Ryan and followed.

I noticed Ronan wobble over to a spare bed. Looking out the window, I saw a wall, and sighed just slightly.

"Elesis, do you want to lay down?" Ronan asked.

"Well, I am a bit tired," I said, and sat down. Ronan sighed a bit, sounding a bit sad, and I asked, "Are you okay, Ronan?"

"Huh? Uh, I guess," he answered. Looking over at him, I saw he looked a bit bummed out.

"Y'sure?"

"I. . . I'unno."

"What's wrong?"

Ronan sighed before answering. "It's just my leg. It feels like it's been broken for a month."

I sighed as well. "I wish father wasn't so mean to you all. Y'know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah," Ronan said. "But it wasn't his fault. He was possessed after all."

"Still, the other things he's done," I said. I noticed that my father was listening, but wasn't speaking.

"Well, he's just a little over-protective," Ronan said.

"He's _too_ over-protective," I corrected. I mean, I'm not a little kid. Anymore."

This time, both my father and Ronan sighed.

"Hmph." I felt slightly cross now, though I said it was nothing when asked what was wrong.

"How's your leg?" I asked, when Ronan started examining it.

"It's. . . gotten a lot better," he answered. "Arme helped a lot so I think I'll be up soon."

"That's good," I murmured. Father sighed and laid down on the floor, so I decided to lay down on the bed Ronan was on, letting my hair and legs dangle off the edges.

"Your hair. . ." Ronan said softly.

"My hair? What about it?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," Ronan said. "Just wish it didn't have to be cut."

"Well, better than losing my head," I told him. "Plus, it'll grow long again."

"Yeah. . . I guess. . ." Ronan didn't seem too convinced. As he brushed some of my hair off my face, he asked, "Oh, are you hungry?"

"Uhm, perhaps," I answered, feeling a slight edge of hunger.

"Uh, Arme?" Ronan called.

"Yes, Ronan?" Arme asked, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Do you know if we have anymore food?" Ronan asked her. I looked over and noticed Ryan's expression. When he looked back at me, it seemed as if we were both thinking the same thing. _So she responds to Ronan, and not Lass_.

"We ran out," Arme answered.

"Great. . ." Ronan sighed.

"We're not able to buy anymore either, since the townsfolk hate us," Arme added. "Perhaps we should leave."

"Who's gonna carry Lass?" Ronan asked.

"Perhaps Ryan can," Arme suggested. "Unless someone else wants to." There was silence, so Arme continued. "Then we should prepare to leave by about nightfall."

"Where are we heading, Arme?" Lire asked.

"Dunno."

I felt a poke into my side, tickling me a bit, and I yelped. Rolling over to my side, I poked him back. He smiled at me and let out a soft chuckle. Then I heard someone snoring loudly. There went father.

"Oh, god!" Ryan shouted.

"Hm?" I looked over at Ryan a bit before getting behind Ronan and poked him on both sides. Not very effective it seemed. He leaned back a bit against me, though.

Ryan growled a bit, then whacked father with the flat of his jade hook. I threw my shoe at father, but it hit Ryan in the face instead oops.

"Ow!" Ryan cried. "What was that for?!"

"Sorry, I was aiming for father," I told him.

"Yeah right. . ." Ryan grumbled at tossed my shoe back at me as I threw the other one, this time hitting father on the head. Sitting up, he said, "What the hell!"

"What?" I asked innocently, as he picked up my shoe. I put the other back on as he threw my shoe, nailing Ronan right on the forehead.

"Ow!" Ronan yelped, so I grabbed the nearest thing and threw it at father, thinking it was the pillow. I threw it without thought, so I hadn't realized I nailed him with a brick until I saw it hit him. He fell over.

"I thought I grabbed the pillow," I said, with Ronan snickering. "Well, he's immortal at least."

"Wonder if he'll get a concussion and become retarded?" Ryan wondered. "And then he's retarded for eternity?"

"Well," I said, "I once remember seeing him fall off the castle's roof and landing on his head. And he didn't change any bit, though he complained about headaches for a month."

"Bony? Well, you won't be bony for long after Ronan. . ." Ryan stopped. "Never mind," he said, with a chuckle and laid back down. I was confused, but I felt it was better not to ask.


	68. Chapter 67: Troubles

Pulling away from his beloved, Ronan said, "I think I'm going to try to convince the villagers to give us something to eat."

"Okay," Elesis said. "Do you want some help?"

"I guess I'll need some until my leg heals. . ." Ronan answered.

Helping him up, Elesis said, "Well, let's go then."

"Be careful guys!" Lire called after us, as Ronan limped out the door with Elesis keeping him steady.

"We will," Elesis called back, and then they were gone.

Nudging Jin, who was about to fall asleep, Lire said, "Hey, we're planning on leaving tonight."

"Huh?!" Jin jumped slightly, then said, "Oh, okay," and fell asleep.

I stared, bored, at what was left of the ceiling as Lire sat back down on the bed. "You think Sieghart will be all right, Ryan?"

"Yeah, he's got a hard head," I answered.

"Hard enough to withstand a brick?"

"Possibly."

Lire nudged Sieghart experimentally, and sighed when he didn't wake up. "I wonder how Ronan and Elesis are doing?"

"Probably fine," I answered.

--

"Hm, where is everyone?" Elesis asked, looking around.

"Hiding from us?" I answered sarcastically.

"Maybe." Either my sarcasm was lost, or she chose to ignore it. But then again, it may have been true.

"Let's go there," I said, pointing at a food shop, and limped toward it.

"Hopefully we don't get chased out," Elesis muttered.

"Yeah, 'cause I can't run."

"Hopefully they understand that." Hopefully.

I swung the door open and tried to look okay, and tried not to limp so much.

"Hello?" Elesis called.

"Wh-Who's there?!" came a frightened voice.

"Just some, ah. . ." Elesis paused. "Customers," she finished.

The shop keep rose from behind the counter, gripping a spear. "Oh, uhm, how c-can I h-help you?" It didn't seem like he was interested in talking.

"We wish to buy a few things," Elesis said.

The shop keep shrieked suddenly, and looked paranoid. "What do you want?!" Oh, god. "I mean, what can I interest you in?"

"Uh," Elesis hesitated, looking as if she thought this was a bad idea now. If she was thinking that, I agreed. "We wish to purchase some food, if you have any."

"Do I has food?! Has food?!" Geez, bad grammar runs in this town or something. "Oh, right, of course I do." Weirdo. . .

"It's not for you!" he shrieked, then said more calmly," I mean. Be right back. "He walked to the back of the shop, disappearing behind some doors.

"What's his problem?" Elesis asked, then shivered a bit. "And suddenly, I have a bad feeling."

"He needs a drink. . ." I muttered, somewhat remembering the time I got drunk, and thought better of that suggestion.

Suddenly, a dart flew out from the back of the room and hit me on the forehead.

"Agh!" I yelped and fell over. What the heck?!

"Ronan!" Elesis cried, and drew her sword out quickly.

There was a loud, boisterous laugh, and, "I got you now, demon!"

"What the freak was that?!" I yelled.

"I'll show _you_ 'demon!'" Elesis growled. "Get your ass out here _right now_!"

"Huh?!" the shop keep cried. "You're still alive?! I filled that thing with holy water. And stuff. Ah, no!"

"Oh, he was for real when he called you a demon. . ." Elesis muttered. "He's still dead." She yelled, "Get out here right now, asshole!"

"I'll call the alarm!" the shop keep shrieked."

Putting her sword away, Elesis yelled, "_You_ were the one who attacked us first!"

As I struggled to get up, Elesis helped me and asked, "You okay?"

I pulled the dart out of my forehead. It didn't hurt, really. "Uh, yeah." There was water coming out of the dart's nose. I tossed it. "Look, we just need food."

"Is this town superstitious or something. . .?" Elesis muttered as the shop keep came out with a crate.

I used my spell sword to pry the lid off. Right now, I was suspicious.

"I think we should just leave and find food elsewhere," Elesis grumbled as the lid popped open. I pulled the top off to inspect the food.

"No no!" the shop keep cried. "This stuff is really good!"

"Yeah, right," Elesis muttered.

"See!" To prove his point, the shop keep snatched a piece of fruit from the crate and bit into it. "See? No poison!" Poison?

Elesis and I watched him for a few minutes, and nothing happened.

"I don't know. . ." Elesis said. "I just have an odd feeling. . ."

"Yeah well. . . thanks," I said, and grabbed the crate and left some gold on the counter. Softly to Elesis, I said, "Don't worry, he's not dead. Yet."

"Because we'll be, I bet. . ." Elesis muttered.

"Want some holy water, too?!" the shop keep yelped. "How 'bout exorcism slips?!" I thought this was a food store? Oh wait, this was the misc. store, but then again, those types of stores usually contain food.

"Uhm, no," Elesis said. "Unlike you, we don't have a superstitious fear."

"Me?! Superstitious?! No! I mean, I know I scrubbed this place with holy water, but still! That's not superstition!"

"Yeah, right," Elesis grumbled, then got some of the holy water onto herself and pretended to scream and writhe a bit. I almost fell over from shock, but realized she was pretending.

"Eek!" The shop keep readied his spear.

Elesis nearly fell over, but straightened herself. "See? You are. Hmph." She turned to walk out, and I followed with the crate, wobbling slightly.

"Hey wait!"

"Now what?!" Elesis growled, irritated about this.

We turned around and the shop keep pointed at me. "You're familiar." Oh crap.

"Hu-Huh?" I squeaked.

"Is that a spell sword?" he demanded. "You're a spell knight?"

"Uhm," I said.

"You!" I jumped. "You're the Royal Guard Master aren't you!"

"Uh, what?" I said, dumbfounded.

"Can I have your autograaaaph?!" he yelped.

"Huh?!" What?! "Uh, no?! I don't give out autographs!" I ran as best as I could.

"Ronan!" Elesis cried, and she followed me. I didn't get very far with my leg, and stopped under a tree, and set the crate down. I was panting.

"Are you okay?" Elesis asked, coming up to me.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I answered.

"Why did you have to run exactly?"

I winced in pain a bit. "Why wouldn't I have? He would have speared me."

"I don't think those that want someone's autograph spears them as well."

"I dunno," I said. "Let's get back, okay?" I let out a sigh.

"A'ight," Elesis said, and picked the crate up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. . ." I told her. I didn't want to trouble her.

"If you're sure. . ." Elesis didn't seem convinced. We walked back silently towards our place. I noticed Elesis seemed to be struggling slightly with the crate.

"Do you need help with that, Elesis?" I offered.

"Ah, no, I'm fine!" Elesis told me.

"Alright then. . ." I didn't sound that convinced.

"I promise I'm fine," she reassured me. I just looked away, kind of concerned. I didn't want to burden her, but this leg. . .

As soon as Elesis got inside, she dropped the crate.

"Eh?" Lass looked over, awake.

"I wouldn't eat these if I were you," Elesis said, pointing at the crate. Was she still going on about that?

"Like I care?!" Lass cried. "I'm starving!" He ran over and ripped the top off the crate. Elesis knocked Lass away, purposely.

"Ow, hey!" Lass gave Elesis an odd look, but then turned away.

"Sorry," Elesis said, "but I'd rather have Arme check first." Lass snorted at the mention of Arme. Somebody knock this guy some sense.

Just then, Elesis stepped on Lass' foot.

"Ow!" Lass pulled his foot away quickly. "What was that for?!"

"Oops, sorry." I could tell that wasn't an accident. Lass grumbled.

"Arme?" Elesis looked over at her, to see she was asleep.

Lass jumped on the spare bed.

"Hmph." Elesis kicked the bed, then jumped. "Owowow."

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, just be a little patient," I told her. "Not like we'll die if we don't get it checked on right now."

"I'm just irritated, is all." Elesis certainly looked irritated.

"Oh, how?" I asked.

"Just a bunch of things."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, I'll be fine, but thanks for the offer, Ronan."

"Okay, then. . ." I went over to Lass bed and sat on the edge, as Elesis sat down on the floor. Why couldn't she just sit on a bed?

I poked Lass.

"Go away, _Ronab_," Lass hissed.

"Hey!" I cried. I heard Elesis snicker.

"Oh, Lass," Elesis said. "Quit being mad at Arme."

"Who?" Lass sneered.

"Arme, you asstard."

"Like I said. . . Who?"

"Okay, that's it." Elesis got up and walked over to Lass. Then she slapped him. Hard.

"Agh! What the heck?!" Lass cried.

"That was for being an asshole," Elesis explained. "I thought you loved her. Now you hate her. I can't believe it." She scoffed and then stepped on Lass' foot again.

"Yikes! Ow!" Lass yelped.

"I hope you come to your senses someday," Elesis said, then turned away from him and sat down on the floor.

"Hmph. . ." Lass laid down on the bed.

"Ow. . ." Sieghart was now awake.

"Sorry," Elesis said.

"Yeah, yeah. . ." Sieghart grumbled.

"I meant to throw the pillow."

"Doesn't matter now."

"Well, sorry."

I sighed, and leaned against one arm, then saw a shoe whiz by my face, and strike Lass in the side.

"Ow!" Lass cried. "Leave me be!"

"No way." Elesis threw her other shoe at him. She seemed to love throwing things at others now, it seemed.

Lass turned invisible at the last second, but he got struck by the other shoe. "Ow!"

"Ha!" Elesis cried. "Okay, what else do I throw?" I saw her fingering the hilt of her sword.

"And he's gone. . ." I said, noticing the bed had lifted a bit.

"Dammit."

I laid down on the now-empty bed.

"Hey, he took one of my shoes!" Elesis cried. I chuckled a bit to myself. "Great, now what?"

"You think he's gonna run away again?" I asked.

"Probably." She sighed.

"I blame you," Ryan said.

"Shut up," Elesis snapped at him.

"I mean. . ." Ryan pretended to snore.

"I don't get why the hell he hates Arme all of a sudden," Elesis grumbled.

"Hm. . ." I said. "What if he runs again, though?"

"Then. . . I don't know. . ."

"Maybe you and Arme should go looking for him," I suggested.

"If Arme ever decides to wake up, that is." Elesis leaned back against the wall.

Looking over at Arme, I saw she was in a nightmare.

"What's wrong with her?" Sieghart asked.

"Lass. . ." Arme cried in her sleep. "Come back. . ."

"Apparently she's having a nightmare," I said. Arme began to yell, as if to prove my point.

"Ah!" Sieghart yelled. "Shut her up!" Arme started to cry.

"For the love of. . ." Sieghart muttered.

I got up and went over to Arme and called her name.

"Lass!" Arme woke up, tears in her eyes. "W-Where. . . What?"

"You were having a nightmare, Arme," I said.

"A n-nightmare. . ." Arme sniffed. "Oh, god, I wish it was nothing more than an aching dream!" She began to cry again.

"Arme. . . Lass ran off again," Elesis said.

"Fine, see if I give a crap about him any longer!" Arme yelled. What? I began to wonder how volatile Arme's feelings were.

"Arme. . ." I said.

"What?!" she snapped.

"You know you were talking in your sleep," I told her. "You were asking Lass to come back. . ."

"What. . ." Arme said in disbelief. "I could hardly give a crap about Lass any longer, why the hell would I want him to come back?!"

"I know that's not how you really feel," I said.

"Yes it is!" she cried. "I thought he and I loved each other, but he showed me otherwise, so I won't have a thing to do with him any longer!"

"So you really don't mind if I leave?" Startled, I looked up at the ceiling, and there was Lass, hanging there. "Great, see ya." He jumped out of a nearby window, and fled.

"How typical of you Lass, you lowly thief," Arme growled, but I knew she was secretly in pain now.

"You two," Elesis said, "are both retards."

"Think I care?" Arme asked. "I don't." She turned away.

"You know what? This is why I have to lead sometimes." With that, Elesis ran outside, disappearing. Where was she going?

Ryan sat up. "Huh? I think I fell asleep."

"You always are, you stupid elf," Arme said.

Sieghart grabbed Arme by her hair.

"Ow!" Arme cried. "Let me go, you old geezer! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm sick of you!" Sieghart yelled. "Shut up!"

"Why don't _you_ shut up!" Arme yelled back.

"I'm not the one who's losing their cool," Sieghart said calmly.

"I'm not the one surrounded by idiots," Arme replied.

"You're saying that I'm the one surrounded by idiots," Sieghart pointed out. "You know that, don't you?"

"I mean to say that I'm _always_ surrounded by idiots," Arme retorted crossly.

"Heh heh, right. . ."

"Just let me go, you stupid old geezer."

"Fine." Sieghart dropped Arme, but kicked her to the ground.

"Ow!" Arme cried. "You little. . ." She petrified Sieghart with her Stone Curse.

Ryan jumped out of his bed then and bumped into Arme.

"What the hell?!" Arme shoved Ryan. "Why don't you watch it?!"

"What?!" Ryan frowned. "I'm not the one who's exploding on their allies."

"Why don't you shut it?!"

"Arme, why don't you just. . . take a walk to cool off. . ."

"And get lost," Sieghart added.

"Shut up, Sieghart!" Ryan yelled.

"Fine," Arme said, "but I'm not coming back." With that, Arme walked out.

"What?! Hey!" Ryan cried, but before he could do anything, Sieghart knocked him unconscious. Ryan collapsed on the bed.

"Hey!" Elesis cried, having just came in to witness that. "What are you doing, father?"

"Nothing," he answered.

"Don't knock our friends out," Elesis said.

"Ryan needed some rest," Sieghart explained.

"He got plenty of that."

"He knocked Ryan out because he was going after Arme after she said she wasn't going to come back," I explained.

"What?! Why didn't you stop her?!" Elesis ran out.

"I have a broken leg!" I tried to say, but she was already gone, so I yelled, "Tell her to hurry back, my leg's bothering me!" I hated to sound so pathetic, but it was true. If my leg wasn't healing right, I was in big trouble. . .

"You think she heard me?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Meh, I dunno," Sieghart grumbled.


	69. Chapter 68: Love's Truth

_"Arme, you're crazy, you know that?"_

_"No, I'm serious."_

_"Why would you do such a thing?"_

__

"I don't know. . . I guess it's because if someone were to break my heart. . . But no one would. Who could love such a volatile little wench such as myself?"

"I was kidding when I said that. But you're not serious, are you?"

_"I'm serious. If there were ever a time someone were to do something utterly terrible to me, something that even I couldn't stand, then I will."_

"_But why? I mean, you're, what, the strongest of us all?"_

__

"I'm strongest in terms of power. That doesn't mean I'm strongest in terms of emotional stability, Elesis."

"Arme. . ."

_"No. I _will_. I know it."_

__

"But how do you know that's what you'll do?"

"Something inside me said so."

"You're trusting your organs?"

"Very funny. I know your skull's not that thick."

"Hey!"

"If there ever was a time, please, find some way to stop me, Elesis. I'm begging you."

"I don't know how, but I promise. I promise to try and stop you. Once I get to know you better, that is."

"Well, hey, we're stuck together. You'll know how my personality is. We'll be closer than we thought possible."

_"I know. I have a feeling that by the time such a time comes, I'll know how to stop you. Hopefully."_

--

I knew what Arme would do. Once no one was looking, she'd sneak out. She'll kill herself.

"Lousy bunch of. . ." I grumbled. "This su-" I bumped into someone. "Fuck!"

"H-Hm?!" I couldn't see them, but there was the sheen of a knife.

Drawing my sword, I prepared to fight.

"What do you want?" they asked me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Does it matter?" they answered.

"Hell yes it does," I told them. "If you don't tell me, you can say your pretty little head goodbye." I wasn't in the mood for games. If I didn't find Lass, then Arme would be gone.

"Yeah, right." They snickered. "I bet you move so slow, a slime could tackle you down."

"Ha, a slime couldn't even hurt me. My defense is pretty high up there. However, I _am_ pretty fast. Now, who the hell are you?"

"I am no one to you." I was shoved against a wall, pinned with kunai. Those kunai told me who it was, though I wanted to make sure.

"Hmph." The kunai were easily knocked off, and then I let loose a wave of energy from my sword, hoping to either hit them or cause them to defend themselves. They chose to defend by first disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a log.

"So then, you're Lass," I said. "I knew it."

I looked up to see Lass, standing on the edge of a rooftop. The sun made him almost nothing more than a silhouette. "You'll never catch me either way, Elesis. I can outrun you."

"I don't intend to," I told him. "Go where you want, no one cares anymore, the way you treat everyone like dirt."

"Tch. It's great that a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I don't see why I stuck around with you anyways."

"I don't either. I thought you were different when we saved you, but you're just a scumbag who only uses others for your own gain." Lass didn't say anything, so I continued. "You love to toy with others, pretending to be close, and then you leave them, breaking them apart, into pieces. You're not better than Kaze'aze."

"You can never judge a book by it's cover, Elesis. Just look at your father, for example. You'd think he'd be something to admire." Lass snickered.

"Oh, but I _do_ admire him," I told Lass. "He saved Bermesiah six-hundred years ago. He was given the gift of immortality, because the gods favored him, and revived him from the brink of death. He defeated Kaze'aze before, though she did come back alter. I admire him the most, because he's my father."

"That old hag is so selfish," Lass spat. "I'll be happy to get away from him. . . He only cared about himself and his daughter anyway."

"What could you expect, when I'm the only family he has left? Once I'm gone, he has almost nothing left." I sighed. "He suffers _because_ of the immortality. It is both a gift and a curse."

"He could've at least put a little faith in us. . ." Lass shook his head. "Agh, shut up. I don't care anymore!" He threw a kunai in my direction, but I easily ducked.

"He's told me about all the traitors he's met in his life, and I can see why he can't trust us sometimes. If I were to go through what he has, I'd have trouble trusting some of you as well Especially you, Lass."

"Why are you even talking to me?! You're nothing but a brat!" Lass turned for a moment, and begun to fling at least a dozen bricks at me, but in his anger, his aim was off, and I dodged them all with ease.

"You've become slow, Lass," I taunted.

He hissed at me, and kicked an empty dumpster down at me. Who knew why there was a dumpster on a rooftop, but I moved back, letting it crash down in front of me.

"Slow, slow, slow," I jeered. "Slow physically, slow mentally, slow emotionally." Then I noticed there was a bit of blood on him. "Bleeding now, Lass? Ha."

"Shut up, you. . . Agh. . . I shall not sink to vulgarity. . ." Lass muttered.

"you've already sunk farther than that, so why does it matter?" I asked.

"I don't need Grand Chase, not anymore. . ." Lass jumped down behind me, and grabbed me by my hair. I didn't move.

"It's a shame," I said. "You used to be so kind, so caring. Now you're nothing. Run, Lass, run. If you come back, I will kill you." I jabbed my sword behind me.

"I hope you don't mind a bob?" Lass whispered in my ear. I heard the sound of his knife slicing through my hair, cutting it shorter, about to my shoulders. He jerked away from me, and I noticed the leg my father had stabbed had begun to bleed.

"Why would I care?" I said. "It's just hair." I shook my head a bit, getting rid of any loose strands, then jumped up above Lass, and landed behind him, before I slashed him, quickly, in his back. He didn't make an attempt to dodge, but he did let out a cry of pain.

"Arme will die, Lass," I hissed. "All because of you. I bet you're happy you're sending her to her doom."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Lass was panting a bit, probably from the pain of the wound I gave him.

"I know what Arme has planned for herself," I told him. "She's taking Kaze'aze on herself, single-handedly. She'll die, Lass. She. Will. Die." I made no attempt to clean my sword off before putting it away.

"You. . ." Lass hesitated, as if not believing me. "Liar!" he blurted out.

"It's true," I simply said.

"She's not that dumb. Shut up, I'm not listening to you anymore."

"She's not dumb, she's smart. Arme's going to kill herself so your torture upon her will end." I looked away. "You are the one who has condemned her to death."

"If what you say is true, then maybe she _is_ stupid. Maybe she doesn't get that a lowly thief isn't her type."

"Like you would know what her type is?" I scoffed. "You apparently _don't_, even after all the time you've spent with her."

"Not like. . ." Lass paused for a few seconds. "Not like she cares about me anymore. . . She said so herself. . ."

"Arme tends to say the wrong things when upset, when her emotions have been messed with." I remembered one such time, but didn't mention it. "She can't think straight, and I knew her well enough, unlike _you_, to know how she'll act."

"Tch. Why don't you go save her yourself? Aren't you like a sister to her, Elesis?" Lass sneered.

"Do you think I haven't tried? I've tried in the past, before she even met you, but she seemed pretty determined. I can't save her." I shook my head.

"And you think I can help? Why exactly do you think that? If she's got her mind set to do it, then her mind can't be changed."

"I never told you to help her, did I?" I asked. "If I did, forget I said that. I know her mind can't be changed."

"Why are you telling me this then. . .?" Lass asked. "To damn me? To press a burden on my shoulders?"

"No, just to inform you," I answered. "I wanted those that knew her well to know that she will be leaving, forever." I planned to tell the others when I got back.

"And you think I care?!"

"Whether or not you did, I told you anyway. See you in hell, Lass." I was done. Only Lass could save Arme now, and damn him if he couldn't save my precious friend, one of the two that I have spent this journey with.

--

Did Elesis really think I could save Arme? If her mind was set, then there was no changing it. . .

I was panting still, fatigued, as sunset arrived. Sitting down at the base of a tree, I glared at the sky. It would impede my progress. That, and I didn't like how cold the night was.

I tried to check the wound on my back, but it was too dark to see. Elesis seemed to have gotten faster, I hated to admit. Finally deciding that it would be better to find some light, I stood up and headed close to a clearing where the moon shone through. I've always liked the moon. Then I turned and saw the flame and a small figure. Maybe I could get some food, so I drew my dagger, and rushed towards the small campsite, turning invisible.

It turned out to be Arme, and I stopped immediately, backing away. What was she doing here? I clambered up a tree and watched her from there. She did nothing but stare at the flames. This was boring, so I swung down from the tree and began to approach her, still invisible. The flames cast a slight shadow, though, but I doubt Arme would notice. I tried to ignore my thoughts.

Arme laid down near the fire, and I think she was talking to herself. "I wonder. . . Is hell better than this? It probably is." She closed her eyes, shivering a bit. It looked like she could die from just this cold, never mind Kaze'aze.

I realized what I was thinking. I can't believe I still cared for her. . . As her eyes were still closed, I became visible and walked behind her, putting my dagger away, and crouched down. Arme was already asleep.

"S'cold. . ." she murmured. "Blizzard comin'. . .?" I sighed. She was asleep.

I sat down behind her and slid my jacket off, and placed it on her shoulders, grumbling. Rubbing the marking on my arm, I looked away, before I laid down behind her and wrapped my arms around her. I still couldn't believe what I was doing, but at least she stopped shivering. The last thing I heard was a sigh.

--

I dreamt of a blizzard that tried to freeze me, but I hid in a cavern, and thought my death would come, but there was someone inside it that kept me warm. I never got the chance to thank them as I woke up.

"What. . . Why is. . ." I still felt the warmth, this time against my back, and I got up to look, and saw. . . saw. . . "Lass. . . Why. . . you. . ." In my anger, I kicked him, sharply, in the side. How much longer would he torment me for?! Well, no matter, for soon, it would be all over.

Lass woke up with a jolt, and a cry of pain. He jumped to his feet, sleepy. "Huh?! Crap, I fell asleep. . ."

"What. . . What the hell are you doing here, thief?!" I demanded, seething in slow anger.

Holding his side, he answered, "I should ask the same thing to you. . . Who the hell do you think you are?!" He drew a dagger.

"_I'm_ here to take down Kaze'aze!" I yelled at him. "What's _your _story?!"

"I don't have one. I'm just a lowly thief passing through," he sneered. "I just happened to come by here and I saw you. Elesis told me about your suicidal plots, anyways." He smirked.

"Suicidal?" I laughed. "What does Elesis know? I plan to take down Kaze'aze, and I'll win."

"I somehow doubt it."

"Oh, like _you'd_ stand a chance?"

"Which is why I know you can't beat her."

"At least I stand a better chance than you ever would."

"And again, I doubt it." Lass disappeared suddenly, and I knew he was behind me then.

"Fine, kill me," I told him. It would end my suffering from the pain he inflicted on me, at least.

He grabbed both of my hands. "What, and no 'thanks' for keeping you warm last night? I don't want any more blood on this you bought for me. So why should I kill you? Besides, you're wearing my jacket."

"Just take the jacket off. _Then_ kill me," I said. "You won't have blood on it then. And, I never asked you to keep me warm. I would've been just fine."

Lass forced me to walk. "Arme. . ."

"What?!"

He stopped, then turned me around so that I could get a good look at him, as he gripped my wrists. I looked down to avoid looking at him. Then Lass forced me against a tree, my back against the rough bark.

"Gonna let my blood feed this tree?" I asked spitefully. So this was this, then. Killed by the only one I loved.

"Arme. . ." I felt his hand under my chin, and he lifted my head so that I was forced to look at him. "I still care for you. . ." He. . .

"What are you saying. . ." I whispered.

"Arme, I still love you. . ." Lass said softly. "I would. . . never want to hurt you. . ."

"You. . . You're lying!"

"No. . . I'm not. . . Arme. . ." His gaze seemed to soften as his eyes met mine. I couldn't look away.

"Then. . . Why did you leave. . ." My voice quivered a bit. "You did hurt me. . ."

"Arme, I'm sorry. . . I was just so angry. . . and depressed at the same time. . . at you guys. . . for not letting me leave. . ." His voice was filled with agony. . . "I guess I should have been grateful instead. . ."

"But. . . why. . . Why did you want to leave in the first place?" I asked. "Didn't. . . Didn't you care?"

"Yeah, I. . . I was just being biased on things. . ."

"Whenever I get inside a town, all I want to do is steal something. I don't care whether it's something simple or something priceless. I just do." Lass sighed, and directed his gaze up at the sky. I dropped my gaze a bit.

"It's. . . It's natural, I suppose," I said. "I mean, you're part of the assassin's guild. . . or something. . ." I always thought that anyone in that guild would have an instinct to steal, so I never held that against Lass. . .

"I've always been like that," Lass said. "I saw how you guys didn't like it when I did that. . . and I bunched that up with my fear of hurting you. . . so I decided to leave after raiding the town." He looked away guiltily.

"But. . . I didn't care. . . if you stole. . ." I told him. "I understood, because. . . after all. . ." I couldn't finish.

"Arme. . . I. . ." Lass looked up, and I glanced up, but just then, he pressed his lips against mine, and kissed me deeply. I let out a muffled cry and started to pull away, but then I leaned forward. I didn't want to lose Lass again, never.

As he wrapped his arms around me to pull me close, I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull _him_ close, and closed my eyes. I felt his hand caress my back as we kissed, and I knew what would come as he slipped the jacket off my shoulders, and began to take my shirt off. But I knew this haven would not last.


	70. Chapter 69: Leave

Did we just. . .

Arme was resting against my bare chest, as I lay panting a bit.

"Ohh. . . Did we. . ." Arme began. "Did we do what I think we did. . .?"

"Yeah. . ." I answered. I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath.

I felt Arme nuzzle my hair a bit as she whispered, so softly, "I love you, Lass. . ." This was. . . the best. . . She still loved me, even after all I did. . .

"I love you too, Arme. . ." I whispered back, and kissed her softly. I let out a grunt as I tried to get up, my body protesting at the movement. Then I felt a sharp pain go through my body, and I let out a shout of pain.

"L-Lass?! A-Are you okay?" Arme asked worriedly.

"Elesis and I had a bit of a quarrel before I saw you. . ." I explained.

"Then. . . did she do that. . .?" Arme apparently noticed the blood.

"Ugh. . . Yeah. . . It's not so bad," I told her.

"Are you sure? Lemme look. . ." I turned around without a protest to let her examine the wound.

"It's not too deep, though. . ." Arme paused. "It has a bit of debris caught in it.

"Ah. . ." No wonder it hurt so much. "Could you get it out?"

"I could try, but it might hurt a bit. . ." I felt her fingers brush against my back as she tried to carefully remove the debris. It hurt, but I made no sounds of complaint. I winced every so often.

Soon, I realized the pain was gone, for the most part, but I still felt Arme's fingers brushing my back. "I'm. . . done," she said.

I sighed. "Thank you, Arme."

"You're welcome, Lass. . ." I felt Arme lean against my back, and sighed, in content. I smiled and closed my eyes, enjoying her company. Her arms wrapped around my chest, and I held her hands.

"I guess. . ." I said, "we should head back soon, shouldn't we?"

"Y-Yeah, I suppose so. . ." It sounded as if Arme didn't want to. I was tempted to tell her that we should just stay, but I had a feeling I should bring Arme back.

"Come on, let's get dressed," I said.

"O-Oh, uh, right." Arme left me to get dressed.

I got up and got my boxers on, followed by my pants. As I grabbed my shirt, I heard Arme yelp. "My clothes! They're gone!"

"W-What?!" I turned around as Arme ran behind me. "I can't find them!"

"Where could they have gone?!" I asked. Great, who took Arme's clothes?! And. . . who the hell saw us then?!

"I-I don't know. . ." Arme answered.

"Great. . . What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Uhm, can you find me something to wear, at least, so I don't have to walk around naked?"

"Well, I don't think the townspeople like me. . ." I rubbed the back of my head a bit.

"Oh, screw them. . ." Arme grumbled. "You could hide and ask the others. . . if you want."

"What'll you be doing while I'm out trying to get you clothes?" I asked.

"Uhm, I suppose I'll be hiding around this forest, I suppose. I mean, I don't want anyone to see me. . ." Arme paused, then added, "Aside from you, of course."

I blushed a bit as I gave her my jacket. "I know it's not much, but here, keep yourself warm, okay?"

"T-Thanks. . ." Arme tried to wrap it around herself as much as she could, then looked up at me a bit shyly. "Uhm, please be safe, Lass. . ."

As I pulled my shirt and gloves on, I said, "Alright," then kissed her. "I'll do my best. You stay safe too. . ."

Arme kissed me back, then said, "Don't worry, I will. I'll be waiting for you, Lass." I smiled.

"I'll be back soon!" I made sure my weapons were secured, and then ran off, tying the headband on as I ran. It didn't take me long to reach the outskirts of town.

Looking around, I said to myself, "I hope they don't stone me. . . or get a mob. . ." It seemed unusually silent.

I looked around again. "At least no one's around. . ." I hurried and ran over into the armor shop, relieved that there was someone who hadn't seen me before. I hope.

"Ah, 'allo, 'oo ees thees?" Uh, what?

"Uhm. . . Heeeey. . ." I inched in.

"'Allo, there." Odd accent.

"Uhm, hell, miss. I. . . uh. . . I need armor for, maybe, a mage? Uhm, female. . ." I added. I didn't want to get male mage armor for Arme.

"Ah, weeeell, I shall check ze storage and see if I 'ave any." They went to the back. I scratched my head, then rubbed the marking on my arm again, a bit nervous. Then I heard a commotion outside.

"Oh, great, what now?!" I cried, and stuck my head outside the shop, and almost got hit by a mob. I let out a cry and pulled my head back in.

Just then, the shop keep came back out. "Ees something ze matter, sir?"

"There is a mob outside!" I cried. "What do you mean 'what's wrong'?! Oh, uh, did you get something?" I hadn't meant to snap like that. . .

"Ah, I deed not noteece zat." They set down a box. 'Ere you go, sir."

"Uhm, thanks," I said, and picked the box up, set down some gold, and said my goodbye, leaving the shop.

I noticed the mob again, and it looked like they were chasing someone.

"Huh?! Who's that mob after?" I couldn't tell from the distance, so I chased after. It looked like they were about to reach the person, so, being a bit kind, I drew out my Spirit Blade and waved it around, breaking up the mob, but they reformed again after seeing me. I kept the Blade out so they wouldn't get close. Then I heard a noise behind me.

"Agh, what the hell?!" I cried as some people tried to jump me, and I turned invisible. Confused, the mob started searching, having lost the the other person as well. Good. These people were _crazy_! I wonder where the other person went? I made sure to keep a good grip on the box so it wouldn't give me away.

Then the started to run towards me. What?! I'm invisible! They can't see me! I began to run towards the forest, only to realize they had found someone else. I looked back, then went to investigate.

"Oh sh-" The person ran, and I couldn't get a good look at them.

I growled a bit. Would they stop running long enough?! I chased after, but they jumped over a pile of bricks and disappeared around a corner. However, I was determined. Then there was the sound of someone falling, and I turned the corner. I got them!

It was Elesis. She drew her sword and faced me. I frowned, and glared at her, my invisibility disappearing.

"Oh, it's you," Elesis said in a matter-of-fact tone. "What do you want?"

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"What do you think? They're running us out of a town a day early." That wasn't right.

"What?!" I cried.

"Yeah. . . Someone did something stupid." Elesis looked over at me. "And I don't mean you, Lass."

"Who and what?" I asked, curious.

"Father," she answered, and began to explain. "They found out he was attacked by a dog because of something he said, and considered him cursed, possessed by a demon. Superstitious assholes. . ."

"Sheesh. . ." I grumbled. "Just because he acts like a demon doesn't mean he is one. . ."

"Yeah. . . And they found out about my hair, so they've been chasing me as well. In fact, the others got out, but I'm stuck." Elesis shook her head. "They've blocked every exit I tried to get to, and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up." I noticed that Elesis looked a bit exhausted, and she usually had a lot of stamina, so I knew she was serious.

"Come with me." I offered her my hand.

"How can I trust you?" she asked, looking at me with suspicion.

"I'm going to meet Arme somewhere. . ." I said, hoping it'd be enough. "It's your choice if you wish to come or not."

"Arme, huh." Elesis looked as if she were thinking for a bit. "A'ight." She took my hand. "Get me out of here before I die."

I was glad she trusted me, even if it was only for Arme. Nodding, I turned us both invisible.

"So this is what it's like to be invisible, hm? Sweet."

"Come on, let's not waste time." I pulled her along, trying to run, and she started to run in a few seconds. We both weaved through a small crowd of people, soon arriving at the outskirts. Letting go of her hand, I shouted, "Hurry!" and ran into the forest.

"Think they'll come after us?" Elesis asked as we ran.

"I don't think they saw us," I answered.

"Good. So tell me, is Arme alive and well?"

"Yes, she's fine."

"Good. I didn't want her to die."

"Of course you didn't." I chuckled, then called out, "Arme? Arme, where are you?" We had arrived to where I had last seen Arme.

"Here. . ." Arme called from somewhere.

"I got it, come out," I said. "It's only me and Elesis."

Arme poked her head out from some bushes. "H-Hey! Elesis, what are you doing here?"

"Got chased by the townsfolk," Elesis said. "They decided to get us out early due to finding out about our interactions with the dogs. I got stuck until Lass came by."

"R-Really? Glad you made it out then, but where's the others?"

"I'll take you guys later," Elesis said. "I was the last one out though, along with Lass, so they may have moved."

"I hope they're all right. . ."

I gave Arme the box I was carrying. "Um, here."

"Oh, what's this?" she asked as she opened the box.

"Um, that's what the person at the shop gave me."

I saw some purple as she took it out skeptically. "So. . . a shopkeeper from the town gave you that. . ."

"Uh, yeah. . ."

"Is it safe?"

"If you mean if it's not loaded full of spikes on the inside, I doubt it," I told her. "Otherwise, I didn't look at it."

Arme still wasn't sure.

"C'mon, just wear it," I pleaded. "It won't look bad." Then I turned my head away.

After awhile, I asked if she was dressed yet.

"Y-Yeah, but. . . I think the top's a bit small. . ." she answered, so I turned around. It was lovely on her.

It was a two-piece outfit, what Arme called a small top, and a pretty skirt. The outfit was mainly black, gold, and a violet color, except for the arm coverings, which were white, with gold-trimmed black wrist and arm cuffs to keep it from falling. There were two long strips that hung from the front of the skirt that flowed freely, and she had a black-and-gold cloak. Her shoes were a little above her knees, and were also black-and-gold.

"Looks cute on you, Arme," Elesis said.

"Um, I liked my other outfit better. . ." Arme said shyly.

"It's fine. . ." I told her, blushing a bit. "You look beautiful."

"T-Thanks," Arme said, blushing a bit herself. She must not have liked how short the top was. "I kinda want my old outfit back though. It felt more. . . familiar."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. My hair feels funny being so short." Elesis shook her head a bit. "I'm used to it being longer."

"Is it me, or did it get even shorter?" Arme asked.

"Oh, those towns folk had like, swords and stuff. Got me on my hair a few times," Elesis lied.

"Sheesh, I think they went a bit overboard," Arme grumbled.

"Well, at least Lass got me out." I was glad she didn't mention that it was _I_ who cut her hair.

"Thanks, Lass, for getting Elesis out of there," Arme said, turning to me.

"It wasn't that hard. . ." I said, smiling shyly a bit.

"Of course not, for you, Lass." Arme smiled, and mine widened a bit.

"Oh, do you have my jacket?" I asked.

"O-Oh, of course!" Arme ran into the bushes and came back with my jacket. "Thank you, Lass, I stayed warm."

After I put my jacket on, I gave Arme a hug and whispered, "I don't want you to get hurt anymore. . ."

"I'll be fine, Lass. . ." Arme murmured. "Just as long as you aren't the one who's. . . you know. . ." She hugged me back tightly.

"I won't, not anymore. . ." I told her softly.

"Good. . ." She reached up to kiss me, and I smiled a bit before I kissed her back.

"'Ey, get a room you two, I'm still here," Elesis said.

Arme pulled away quickly as I said, "Hey, you do it with Ronan all the time. It shouldn't bother you!"

"I was kidding," Elesis said. "Hm, I wonder if Ronan would like it if I-"

"Too much info, sister," Arme interrupted.

"Oh be quiet."

"I don't want to hear about what you plan to do to Ronan."

"Well, right now, we don't even know where Ronan is," I interrupted. "We should go looking for him and the others."

Elesis nodded, and pointed north. "I think they went south.

"That's north, you nimrod," Arme said.

"Well, Lire said to meet where it was colder," Elesis said.

"Well, south is _warmer_. We gotta go that-a way." Arme pointed north.

"Maybe you should lead the way, Arme."

I followed Arme as she headed north, and Elesis followed close behind me.

"Hey, Elesis?" I looked back a bit.

"Yes?"

"You know, uh, when a guy's quiet, he starts to notice things," I said. "You know Ronan's still kinda thinking about what you said before we came here. . ."

"Is he. . . Sometimes, I feel as if. . . I should be better. I've tried my best, and if he wants to give up on me, then so be it." I didn't say anything. I kinda felt sorry for her.

Then I thought I heard something. "Huh?" Arme looked back at me.

"I think I heard something," I said.

"Really? I didn't," Arme said.

"Maybe you're hearing things, Lass," Elesis said.

"No, I swear I heard so-" I began, before I heard a loud cry, and something fell on me.

"Hey!" Elesis shoved them off me. It turned out to be a fuzzy Ryan. As in, the Ryan-mutt.

"Ow! Get off, get off!" Ryan cried as Arme stood on his back. When she realized who it was, she jumped off.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" Elesis asked.

"I was, um, trying to jump from tree to tree but I guess I was too heavy," he answered.

"And why were you doing that exactly?"

"Because if cats can do it, wolves can do it better!" Ryan yelped. "I mean. Uh, curiosity?"

"Er, I think wolves are a bit too big for that," Arme said.

"I guess." Ryan changed back to normal.

"So, are the others nearby?" Arme asked.

"Well, I don't know," Ryan said. "I left Lire to try out jumping on the branches!"

"Well, do you think you can lead us back to them?"

"I think it was west of here!" Ryan pointed east. Did almost no one have a sense of direction but Arme and I?

"That's east, stupid," Arme grumbled. "Do you guys have no sense of direction or something?"

"Of course I do!" Ryan cried.

"Liar," I said.

"Well, west is that way." Arme pointed west.

"Um, then it's that way!" Ryan ran off in that direction, and I followed. Arme sighed, then followed after, with Elesis.


	71. Chapter 70: Secret's Out

I was bored. Really bored.

"Are we there yet?" I whined.

"Like hell should I know?!" Arme snapped.

"Why are you complaining?!" Lass asked.

"I'm bored!" I answered.

"And wen you get there, you're probably going to go to sleep," Lass muttered.

"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, after all the running I've been doing today." I hadn't meant to sound lazy, but if Lass knew that I had ran half the day from those people. . .

"You're kinda lazy, aren't you?" he asked.

"Not really," I answered.

"Either way, you didn't have to slash my back. . ." Lass muttered.

"And what does that have to do with this?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," he answered.

"No cat fights, please," Arme said, sighing.

"Cat fights!" Lass yelled out.

"Well, I'm not lazy. Hardly, really." Then I added, "So, are we there yet?"

I was met with a sharp, "No," from Arme.

"I think we're lost," I said.

"Ryan?" Arme looked up, only to see Ryan gone. She sighed and ran to catch up.

"Hey, wait up!" Lass cried, and ran after Arme. I followed Lass.

Soon we caught up to Ryan, who had grabbed a low branch, and stopped. "Huh?"

"Sheesh, you almost lost us!" Arme said.

"Hey, Ryan, are we there yet?" I asked. I was serious this time, though Arme didn't think so.

"Shut. Up." Arme glared at me, but before I could say anything, Ryan whacked me with his storm pike, and then ran, letting the branch whip me in the face.

"What the hell was that for?!" I cried.

"Ask Arme!" Ryan yelled, and ran off.

"Oh, no, don't blame me," Arme said. "I didn't do anything!" She snickered.

"You're all out to get me. . ." I grumbled as I rubbed my cheek.

"Look on the bright side, at least you still have Ronan!" Lass said, then ran after Arme, who had ran off.

"You don't know that for certain," I muttered, before chasing. I came up to them as Ryan asked, "Have you two made up?"

"Yeah. . ." Arme answered softly, before pulling Lass into a hug.

"Ain't that cute?" Ryan said, before walking into a tree.

As Arme and Lass kissed, Ryan had walked on, and soon pulled aside some plants and exclaimed, "We're here! Doesn't it bring back memories?" The plants had hid the mouth of a cave.

"Reminds me of the fact that I can't," I began, then stopped, and said instead, "that I ended up losing a child in a cave."

"It was also where some of our troubles ended," Arme added, having came up to us. "Thankfully."

"I wonder how Ronan'll take it. . ." I blurted out. Then I realized my mistake and held up a hand to my mouth.

"Take what?" Ryan asked.

"Er, nothing!" I didn't want to tell.

"You know, Elesis," Lass said. "If you don't have faith in Ronan, Ronan's most likely not going to have faith in himself, looking past the fast that he has confidence issues, but hey."

"I do have faith in him!" I cried. "It's me I don't trust."

"You don't trust yourself?" Lass asked.

"No, not really," I answered.

"I don't. . . get it."

"I have a secret to tell Ronan, and I don't trust myself to tell him." I looked away and said softly, "I don't trust myself to believe in him."

"Why not?" Lass asked.

"Because. . ." I took a deep breath to calm myself. "I'm worried about how he'll react when, or if, I tell him."

"Well, we all know that Ronan has confidence issues," Ryan said, "but I think he can take bad news anyway."

"I'm not sure. . . I mean, this affects father too, somewhat," I added.

"Oh," Ryan said. "In that case, good luck!"

"Ha, ha, very funny," I grumbled.

"Well, either way, if it's important, you should tell them."

"Well, I'm not sure if it's important that I can't give birth anymore." Wait, did I just say that?" Oh crap, oops."

"Wait, what?!" Arme cried.

"Nothing, nothing!"

"Huh?!" Lass cried. "But Sieghart lifted that curse, didn't he?!"

"That doesn't mean Kaze'aze will just sit back," I told him. "As a final 'farewell' to the curse, Kaze'aze 'wrecked' me. That was why my eyes were gray, Lass." I didn't want to explain how.

"That's terrible!" Ryan cried.

"Yeah, well, that's Kaze'aze for you," I said icily.

"I can't believe that happened to you. . ." Arme murmured.

"Well, there's always Arme!" Ryan blurted out. "I mean. . ." He ran into the cave. Arme glared after him, then turned back to me. "Sorry, but I don't think I'd be able to heal you."

"It's okay," I told her. "I think all the miscarriages and all have traumatized me anyway."

"You're right thinking that Ronan and Sieghart won't be too happy," Lass said. "Well, Sieghart will probably try to go kill the Kaze'aze by himself and Ronan would probably go into depression. If only Arme could fix this. . ." Lass sighed.

"That's why I don't really want to tell them," I said.

"Yeah, well, sorry, can't," Arme said to Lass. "Once something's been damaged to a female like that, there's no hope, really."

"I'm sorry, Elesis," Lass said to me.

"I-It's alright. I'm fine with it now. I mean, I've had a while to recover from it," I said.

"Still. . . Man. . ." Lass looked away.

"I hope Ronan and father will be fine," I murmured.

"Uh, we should go inside and go after Ryan."

"Yeah. . . C'mon." Arme lead the way in. I went last.

"Hello?" Lass called. "Hey, it's Jin." The red-haired fighter was sitting by himself against the wall. He nodded at Lass' call. I waved.

"Where are the others?" Lass asked. Jin glanced at us, then pointed to one of the three openings in the narrow passageway.

"Why did you guys choose to refuge in a cave?" Arme asked.

"Why not?" Jin said, shrugging. "It's in a forest. Also, I doubt that the people would actually find us." He got up. "Come on."

"Good point. . ." Arme murmured, before we followed.

It took a few minute of walking, but at least, Jin entered a large cavern where the others.

"Ronan!" I cried, and ran over to hug him.

"Elesis! I was so worried about you!" Ronan practically lifted off my feet as he hugged me back.

"Those stupid towns people had me trapped!" I explained. "Luckily, Lass arrived and helped me get away."

"It wasn't much. . ." Lass mumbled.

"Well, still, thank you, Lass," Ronan said.

"Elesis, when do you plan to. . . y'know, tell?" Arme whispered to me as I was released from Ronan.

"Um. . . I don't know," I told her.

"Just. . . Just be careful, okay?" She sat down against a wall.

"Especially. . . Ssssie. . ." Lass didn't say anything more. I nodded nervously.

"Um, Ronan. . ." I hesitated. "Father, could I talk to you two?" They both looked up at me.

"Sure. . ." Father got up and then walked over to me.

"What is it?" Ronan asked as he followed father.

"Come out here. . ." I headed into the corridor where the others wouldn't overhear without being seen. I heard their footsteps echo as they followed me out.

"What's this about?" Ronan asked again as we stopped.

"It's. . ." I paused. "How do I put this. . ."

"We're waiting," father said, slightly impatient.

"Um, father, how much did you wish to be a grandfather?" I asked. I dreaded this, but if I never said anything, it would be much worse.

"Very much, why?" he answered.

"Umm, well. . ." I turned to Ronan. "How much did you want to raise a family with me?"

"I'd love to say, 'very much', also." Ronan's voice seemed to have grown a bit softer, as if he knew what I was about to say.

"Then. . . I'm sorry, but it'll never happen," I said.

"What?!" Ronan cried. I looked down; I couldn't meet their eyes.

"What do you mean, Elesis?" father asked.

"I can't bear children anymore. . ." I said, so softly.

"Come again?"

"You. . . what?"

Taking a shaky breath, I said, more loudly, "I can't bear children anymore."

"Why not?" father asked.

"I simply can't any longer."

"How did this happen?"

"It. . . was during the time of my lack of eye color," I answered. "Kaze'aze snuck another curse into me. By the time I realized and broke free, it was too late."

"What?!" Ronan exclaimed. Looking up a bit, I saw Ronan was now looking down at the floor. I could see my father looked calm and collected, but his eyes betrayed his boiling emotions.

Sighing a bit, I mumbled, "Sorry to tell you this. . . I'm going for a walk now." I left to the cave's entrance, and I thought I heard the scraping of metal against stone, but I ignored it for the most part.

As soon as I got to the entrance, I realized it was raining. "Crap, it's raining. . ." I muttered, and walked back, slowly. Father hadn't seem to have moved, and I went over and hugged him. He hugged me back tightly, as if afraid to let go.

"I'm sorry 'bout this. . ." I whispered.

"It's fine. . ." he told me, then sighed and whispered softly, "But I'll be alone. . ."

My voice cracked as I tears started to roll down my face. "I'm. . . sorry. . ." He lifted my face up a bit and kissed me on my forehead, smiling, and said, "It's fine. . ."

"I don't want you to be alone though, father. . ." I whispered, then I noticed Ronan. "Ronan. . .? What are you doing?" He didn't answer.

After giving my father another hug, I walked over to Ronan. "Ronan?" No answer. "Ronan!" I yelled. This time, he stopped and looked at me.

"What. . . are you doing?" I asked. He looked away, and I saw his eyes were filled with hatred, shocking me a bit.

"A-Are you. . . mad at me?"

"No. . . of course not. . ."

"You're mad at Kaze'aze, aren't you. . .?"

"Why wouldn't I be. . ."

"But. . . what are you doing?"

Ryan came out then, and asked, "Everything okay out here?"

"Uhm. . . yeah," I answered awkwardly.

Looking over at Ronan, Ryan walked over to me and whispered, "He looks suicidal, you shouldn't leave him alone." Then he walked back into the large cavern.

Hugging Ronan, I whispered, "Please, don't leave me. . ." He hugged me back, but didn't say anything, worrying me.

"Ronan, promise you won't leave me. . . Please. . ." I begged.

"I won't. . . I won't. . ." He placed his hand on the back of my head, and held me closely. His eyes were clouded, but I was satisfied for now, at least.

"Thank you. . ." I leaned against him, and listened to his heartbeat, low and steady, and sighed.

Then I felt someone rustle my hair, and I let out a small giggle, and opened my eyes to look at the carvings on the wall. They made almost no sense to me.

"What were you carving, Ronan?" I asked.

"Uh, nothing important," he answered.

"You sure?"

"Yes. . ."

"Okay. . ." I took out my sword, and holding it near the tip, carved out a small heart. Ronan hugged me a bit closer to him, then I tried to carve our names out, but I made a mess instead. "Oops. . ." Ronan chuckled.

"Well, you could guess what I was trying to do, right?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered, and I smiled.

"You and me," I sighed. "Hopefully, forever."

"Elesis. . ." Ronan hugged me again, and kissed me on the cheek before saying, "I'm getting tired. . ."

"It's been a long day," father said.

"Would you like it if I slept by you?" I asked Ronan.

"If you want. . ." he answered.

"As long as you two don't catch a cold," father said. "I'm going outside." He turned.

"Don't get lost," I told him. He simply laughed a bit before leaving.

"Want to sleep now?" I asked.

"Alright. . ."

"C'mon then," I said.

"Hm?"

"It's a bit warmer in the main cavern."

"Oh, alright then." Then Ronan picked me up, and I yelped, holding on to him tightly.

He let out a small laugh before taking us to the cavern. I kissed Ronan on the cheek before I asked, "Are you gonna carry me like this on our wedding day?"

"Of course. . ." he murmured. "Do you like being carried like this?"

"Well, only by you." Then I realized something. "Do you think I can get away without wearing a wedding dress?"

"I dunno," Ronan answered. "I think you'd look beautiful in a wedding dress. . ." He leaned close to me and kissed me.

I let out a small sound of protest before returning the kiss. He gently laid me down on the cavern's floor before kissing me again, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

I heard Arme let out a loud cough. "We're here, y'know." We both ignored her as Ronan wrapped his arms around my waist. I heard Lass cough as well, and Ryan let out a small groan.

"Oh, enough!" Arme yelled. "Don't make out in front of us all!"

"Mmph," I said in protest, and slid my hand into Ronan's pants. This would be fun.

"Oh, come on!" Ryan cried.

Ronan slid his hand up my shirt as Lass yelled, "God, _stop_!" It was fun to torment them every once in awhile.

"They're doing it on purpose. . ." Arme growled in realization. She certainly caught on fast.

"Let's go somewhere else, Arme. . ." Lass grumbled.

"Yeah, so you two can have sex, too?" Ryan teased.

"None of your business!" Arme yelled.

"You're just jealous that you're still a virgin, wolf boy," Lass muttered. "Unless you were raped by that gang of wolves!" Someone smacked Lass. "Ow!"

"Let's not fight about that," Arme sighed. Then Ronan let out a fake moan, causing Lass to yell, "I'm out of here!" I heard footsteps fade away quickly.

"Oh god. . ." Arme muttered. "Hey, wait! Don't leave me with them!" I think she went after Lass.

"M-Me neither!" Ryan cried, and two steps of footsteps ran out. Ha, ha.

As soon as the footsteps were gone, Ronan looked up and chuckled. I looked up to see the cavern was empty.

"Ha, that was kinda fun," I said, and hugged Ronan.

Hugging me back, Ronan whispered in my ear, "Well, if we continued doing what we were doing, that'd be even more fun. . ." I felt a slight warmth enter my cheeks as I answered, "Well, I think I'd rather do _that _than sleep now. . . That kind of. . . wired me, you know?"

Ronan chuckled as he began to take his armor off. I slipped off my jacket and began to start taking my clothes off as Ronan tossed his weapon to the side. He began to take his shirt off.

This would be the last fun moment until hell began.


	72. Chapter 71: Seek

"God. . ." Lass grumbled. "Those guys are unbearable sometimes."

"I think they like to torture us sometimes with their. . . antics," I said.

Ryan nodded in silent agreement.

"It's. . . noisy, for certain," Lire said, "and disturbing."

"But doing it is enjoyable. . ." I said to myself, with a slight chuckle as I remembered Lass and I.

"Yeah. . ." Lass said, agreeing with Lire, then looked up at Ryan's face. He was twitching a bit.

"Uh, Ryan, are you okay?" Lire asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," he answered. I wondered if he thought we were too young for that?

"But you're twitching?"

"I'm fiiiiine."

We could hear some _highly_ suggestive sounds coming from the cavern. "Goodness," Lass said. Lire let out a nervous chuckle.

"Sooooo," I said, "just curious, but do you two ever plan to do this?" I gestured at Ryan and Lire, and motioned at the cavern. Heh.

"W-What?!" Lire exclaimed, turning a bit red.

"Huh?!" Ryan cried.

"Y'know what I mean," I said teasingly.

"I mean, uh. . ." Ryan said. "I. . . uh. . . yeah. . . aren't we all kinda young for that?! Except for Jin and Lass, Sieghart, and Ronan! I mean, yeah!"

"Well, apparently we _aren't_ too young if we've already done that," I said.

"It's called abstinence!" Ryan yelped.

"Too late for that, Ryan!" I laughed.

"You. . . You don't even know if Lass has a _disease_!" Ryan cried. Er.

"_What_?!" Lass cried.

"Okay, shut up Ryan," I said. "It's a little late to worry 'bout that now anyway."

"Hey, if you have HIV, that's your problem!" Ryan cried.

"I doubt Lass does," I answered.

"Hiiiives?" Lass asked.

"I'm pretty sure Lass, is, uh. . ." I coughed. "Clean. . ."

"Yeah!" Lass cried. "You probably has the black plague or something!"

"What?! That's for rats!" Ryan cried as Lire yelled, "He does not!"

"Well, you never know," Lass said, chuckling.

"And I bet you have harpies!" Lire added.

"Er, it's _herpes_," I corrected. Okay, this was getting awkward.

"Whatever, that!"

Ryan and Lass chuckled.

"Shut up!" Lire snapped.

Both said, "Oh, sorries." Ryan came over and hugged Lire.

Jin, who was already out here, yawned, turned, and fell asleep.

"Huh? You're going to sleep, Jin?" Lass asked. "Alright, then."

"Would you like to go to sleep too, Lass?" I asked.

"K-Kinda," he answered. "I'm kinda. . . tired from today."

"What me to join you?" I hoped he would say yes.

Lass blushed a bit before answering. "Yeah. . . I'd like that."

Hugging him, I said, "Okay, but where are we sleeping? Here?"

"Whatever you want. . ." Lass murmured.

"Not like we could go back in there and sleep," I said, and sat down. Lass sat down next to me.

I almost closed my eyes, but kept them at slits as I watched Lass stick his tongue out at Ryan, and fell asleep. Ryan sighed as he sat down, and Lire said, "C'mere Ryan, I'll sleep beside you." She hugged his leg. Sitting down, he held Lire and was soon asleep.

Leaning against Lass, I fell asleep asleep last.

--

_His hair of midnight blue shimmered faintly in the weak light as he opened his eyes and looked at his red-haired lover, covered in their clothing that served as blankets. "Elesis," he whispered. She made only a small sound but remained asleep. Moving swiftly, he got up and dressed, quickly._

_He froze as she called out his name, and looked over. Turning over, she said, "Don't eat that. . ."_

_"She's dreaming. . ." he whispered, as he fastened his last weapon, the tyrfing, to his belt, and sighed. Then he took his second weapon, the glaive, and stuck it into the ground. "If I never come back, let this be a reminder to you that I'll always love you."_

_He didn't bother to tie his messy hair as he walked out of the cavern. Carefully, quietly, and quickly, he left behind his friends, his teammates, as he walked out into the drizzling rain that had almost stopped. He kept walking quickly, to keep him from going back, from abandoning his plan._

_A sigh left his lips as he leaned against a tree, resting. His hair was already damp from the walking, only a few minutes. His memories started to go through his head as he closed his eyes._

_The sun began to rise as he reached his destination._

--

I fell over, awake, from a loud cry.

"Crap, I spoke too soon," Arme said. What? Quickly jumping to my feet, as I followed Lass as he entered the main cavern.

There was Elesis, lying on the ground, sobbing.

"Elesis, what's wrong?!" Lass asked.

"R-Ronan. . ." she said between sobs. "H-He's gone!"

"What?!" I cried.

"Where'd he go?" Arme asked, though she should've known the answer to _that_.

"I don't know!" Elesis answered, as she remained crying.

"Ronan's going to be in so much trouble when we find him!" Arme growled.

"What, did he take the news the wrong way?!" Lass cried.

"Probably," Arme answered grimly.

Then I noticed the glaive, and retrieved it from the ground.

"I-I don't want him to leave!" Elesis cried. "I-I want him to come back!" Silently, I went over to Elesis and handed her the glaive.

"H-His glaive. . . H-He l-left it. . ." she murmured.

"Don't worry Elesis, we'll get him back," Lass said.

"Where's Sieghart?" I asked.

"He'll be so mad when he founds out what Ronan did. . ." Arme muttered.

"P-Please. . . w-w-we ha-have to f-find him. . ." Elesis sobbed. I couldn't really stand to see her crying so much, so I bent down to hug her, trying to give some comfort.

"It's alright, we'll find him. . ." I told her.

"T-Thank y-you, Jin. . ." she said.

Lass let out an odd sound and then said, "I'm going to um. . . go right now." Then he ran out.

"Uh, yeah. . ." Arme followed, then I realized.

Standing up and clearing my throat, trying to avert my gaze and hide my rising embarrassment, I said, "Uh, you should. . . get dressed. . ."

"E-Er, y-y-yeah. . ." I hastily walked out as Elesis got up and began to get dressed.

"Guys, where are we going to look?" Arme asked.

"Certainly he didn't go back to town. . ." I said.

"So we'll search the forest," Lass said.

"This'll take forever. . ." Arme grumbled, and kicked Lire. "Up!"

"Uh. . .?" Sitting up, groggily, Lire asked, "Wah?"

"Ronan's missing," Lass simply said.

"What?!" Lire exclaimed. "Oh great, first you, now Ronan."

"Great. . ." Ryan sighed.

"Let's go, though I have doubts we'll find him," Arme said.

"What about Elesis?" Lire asked, looking at the main cavern.

"Someone stay with her until she's ready," Arme said. None of us raised a voice to volunteer, but I knew I would be the one to stay.

And as I thought, Lass cried out, "I vote Jin!" I didn't say anything in protest.

"I'll stay, okay?" Lire said. I felt just a bit relieved at having someone else do this, and a bit happy, too.

"A'ight, let's go, guys," Arme said, as Lire walked into the cavern. Before we could leave, Lire came back out.

"Hm?" I looked over at Lire.

"She threw her sword at me!" she cried.

"Why. . .?" I asked.

"S-She's probably upset. . ." Lire answered.

Stopping and turning around, Lass said, "I still vote for Jin." Then he kept walking.

Stopping herself, Arme said, "Okay, she's already in the stage of grief, I think. Apparently she's assuming the worst."

"Well, she was like, 'This can't be happening. No, it just can't be!'" Lire said. "Then, when I told her that it'll be alright, she got mad and threw her sword at me. . ."

"Then I'll stay. . ." I said.

"No one's going to force you to stay if you don't really want to, Jin," Arme said to me. "She's probably going to go through another stage soon."

"It's fine. . ." I told her.

"If you're certain. . . Just be careful with her."

"I will. . ."

"I never pictured Jin as a killer anyway," Ryan said.

"Well, he just needs to be able to keep Elesis from killing herself," Arme said.

"You really think she'll do that?" Lire asked, alarmed.

"She might," Arme answered.

"I'll look after her," I promised.

"Thanks, Jin." Arme came over and gave me a friendly hug before going after Lass. Ryan and Lire waved good-bye to me and left with the others. I felt as if they were finally forgiving me, and I had a small smile before I sighed and entered the main cavern.

Elesis was talking to herself, fully dressed. "Please. . . I'd give anything. . . Ronan. . . come back. . ."

I sat down next to her and hugged her tightly. "Ronan's going to be fine, Elesis," I murmured to her. "The others are out looking for him. They'll make sure that he comes back in one piece, and I'm sure your father will help them if they find him on the way."

"But what if they never find him?" she asked. "What if he's dead?!"

"He's fine. . . They _will_ find him. Just trust them. They will."

"But if he left me. . . Why even bother?" Hadn't Arme mentioned something about stages? Was this a stage, giving up? "I bet he'd rather be with someone that would be better for him. I-I'm just a burden to him, aren't I?! Why even bother, then. . ."

"Elesis. . . One's weapon is a part of them," I said. "A warrior would _never_ leave their own weapon, a piece of them, behind. Ronan left his glaive here, with you. Do you surely think that he's abandoned you?""

"I-I suppose not. . ." Elesis answered with a sad sigh. "But. . . then why did he leave? Why. . .?"

"We'll just have to ask him that when he comes back, hm?"

"I wish he never left in the first place!" she practically yelled.

"You'll just have to accept that he did, Elesis," I said. "The least you can do for him is guard his glaive and wait for his return."

"I-I g-guess. . . B-But still. . ." Grabbing the glaive and holding it tightly, Elesis started to cry again. All I could do was hold her tightly. Then she buried her face in my chest, sobbing. I blinked a bit in shock, then rubbed her back.

"I j-just w-wish he-he'd co-come ba-ack!" she cried.

"Shh, shh. . ." I closed my eyes and sighed softly. "It's going to be fine, Elesis. . . Just don't worry. . ."

"I-I h-hope. . ."

"That's all you need to do. . . hope. . ." I told her softly.

"O-Okay. . ." Elesis looked up at me. "S-So what do we d-do?"

"You want to wait at the entrance for him?" I suggested.

"No. . ." she answered. "I-I want t-to go look f-for him. . ."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah. . . If we-no, _when_ we find him, I want to see him, as soon as possible. . ." She was starting to look a bit better now.

"Alright. . ." I helped her up.

Thanking me, she kept a good grip on the glaive, and I helped her over to the entrance.

"Can you stand by yourself?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah. . . I'm fine. . ." Elesis decided to stay behind me.

We walked for only a few minutes before we heard snoring. Hm. . .

Looking over at a bush, Elesis used her spear to poke whatever was in there.

"Ow!" was the response.

"Oopsies," Elesis said.

Reaching into the bushes, I grabbed something and tried to pull it out. It was a foot. Elesis poked again as I pulled it out. Turned out to be Sieghart's foot.

"Father!" Elesis cried. "What are you doing here?"

"Well. . . I kinda got lost," he answered sheepishly.

"Again?"

"Yeah, I fell asleep anyways, so it doesn't matter. . ."

"Okay. . ." I noticed Elesis looked depressed.

"What's wrong, hun?" Sieghart asked. He seemed a bit damp from sleeping outside.

"Ronan. . ." Elesis sighed.

"What happened?"

"He's gone missing," I answered for her.

"Mhm. . . I want Ronan to come back. . . I miss him. . ." Elesis said.

"That fool. . ." Sieghart muttered.

It looked as if Elesis were about to cry again, probably from thinking about Ronan. Sieghart went over and hugged her.

"P-Please, find him, father. . ." Elesis whispered.

"Don't worry, I will. . ." he said, as she began to cry again. Holding her tightly, Sieghart said, "We can't find Ronan if you're crying. . . Stop crying so we can go find him, alright?"

"O-Okay. . ." Elesis managed to stop crying. "W-Where do w-we go?"

"We should go look for the most God-forsaken place around. . ." Sieghart answered.

"W-Why?"

"Because Kaze'aze is anything _but_ holy. . ." He turned and began to walk off.

"K-Kaze'aze? Y-You think he. . ."

"Good point. . ." I said, and began to follow.

"Oh, please no. . ." Elesis began to follow. "Ronan's going to. . . to. . ." Die? He probably would, but I didn't say it.

Sieghart started to make an odd noise before he stopped, and began to glow.

"F-Father?" Elesis called from behind.

"I'm charging, hold on. . ." he answered. After a while, his aura got thick. With a loud cry, he took out his sword and began to cut down trees.

"Huh?!" I cried.

"W-What are you doing?" Elesis asked.

"I need a better view," he answered.

"Erm, do you _have_ to cut down the forest?"

"I don't care about the forest," Sieghart answered, as he kept cutting trees down.

"Ryan'll be mad. . ." Elesis said softly.

Then someone began to shout, followed by a grunt as a tree fell.

"Who the hell is cutting down trees?!" someone yelled.

"Er, Ryan? Is that you?" Elesis asked.

Looking under a tree, we found Ryan. "Get it off!"

Elesis used her spear to knock the tree off. "Uh, you okay?"

"Does it look like it?!" Ryan snapped.

"Erm, sorry. . . Why are you here exactly? Shouldn't you be, uh. . . searching for. . . Ronan?" Her voice got quiet as she said Ronan's name.

"I was investigating who was plowing down the land!" Ryan yelled. "Sieghart!"

"My bad," he said.

"Well. . . have you. . . found any sign of Ronan?" Elesis asked.

"No, I-" Ryan began, before being cut off by a loud yowl. "What the. . ."

"What was that?"

"Let's go find out," Sieghart said.

I began to follow the sound as the others followed behind me. Sieghart ended up walking by my side.

"Huh, what's tha-" I began, before I lost my footing and slid down a very steep slope. Ryan followed us immediately after.

"Father?! Jin?!" Elesis cried from above.

The three of us landed with a thud. Then someone landed on top of me. My face was buried in. . . oil! What!

I tried to yell, "Get off!" but it came out as "Mrgh pff!"

"I think it got into my clothes. . ." someone said.

"Elesis, Jin is drowning!" someone else said. I couldn't really hear with my ears partly into the oil.

Then the weight on me disappeared, and I lifted my head up with a gasp.

"S-Sorry. . ." Elesis said.

"Hey, your hair's black like mine now," Sieghart said to me, then tried to get up. He succeeded in slipping.

"What's with all this oil?" I asked with a growl.

I heard a loud cry, then saw Ryan sliding away.

Elesis tried to get to Ryan but slipped. I jumped but slipped and began to slide like him. "Crap!"

"Hey, that looks like fun," Sieghart said from behind, and I saw him sliding on his stomach. This wasn't fun!

Suddenly, Ryan stopped. He had landed on grass. Elesis bumped into Ryan, who skidded and flipped over.

"Whoa!" I cried and slid into them both.

Sieghart, meanwhile, slid into a wall.

We were all trying to get the oil off me. As Elesis tried to rub it off onto the wall Sieghart had slid into, it gave away suddenly, and she slid in. "Help!" she cried, helpless.

"Hey!" Ryan yelped, and leaped after. Sieghart followed, pulling me with.

Somehow, we got ahead of Ryan, though Sieghart released his grip on me, and landed on Elesis, followed by Ryan, and me. I noticed a horrendous smell.

"Get off!" Elesis cried. "Oh, ew, it stinks."

Sieghart looked a bit scared as he got up.

"What is this place?" Elesis asked, holding her nose.

"I don't know. . ." Ryan answered.

"It reeks like. . ." Sieghart started, before holding his arm up to his nose.

I recognized the smell. "You're right," I said.

"I might faint from the stench. . ." Elesis said a bit woozily.

From nowhere, a voice said, "Come in. . ." with a slight chuckle.

Elesis nearly fell over.

"Did I frighten you?!" They chuckled again, amused from Elesis' apparent fright.

Turning around due to instinct, I saw two figures approach. They were the source of the stench.

"G-Get them a-away. . ." Turning back, I saw Elesis swaying on her feet a bit.

"Come in. . ." the voice hissed.

Frowning, Sieghart walked forward, followed by Ryan. I stayed behind.

"Come on, Elesis," I said. She began to back away, holding her nose.

"Hurry. . ." I urged, grabbing her other hand. We caught up with the others.

"No. . . Stop. . ." Elesis groaned. "I can't take it. . ."

"We have to. . ." I told her.

"Ugh. . . no. . . A-Ah. . ." she bent over, and threw up. Oh, god. . .

"Elesis!" Sieghart cried.

"Keep moving!" the voice said.

I groaned a bit from the sight, but asked, "Do you. . . want me to carry the glaive for you?"

"N-No. . . I-I'm fine. . ." Elesis looked anything _but_ fine.

"Alright," I said though.

"Hurry up!" came from behind. Or maybe ahead. The two figures were getting closer as Elesis fell over. "I can't. . ."

I picked Elesis up, like Ronan had back in the main cavern, and rushed ahead.

"Nooo. . ." Elesis groaned. "Let me go. . ."

"We have to keep moving, Elesis. . ." I told her.

"Please. . . no. . ."

From above, another voice came. "Elesis. . . I failed. . ." It was familiar. _Too_ familiar. . .

"Wait, is that. . .?" Ryan started, the coughed.

"Ronan. . ." Sieghart said grimly.

"I couldn't beat her. . ." the voice echoed. "I'm sorry. . ." Idiot! Why did he do what Arme was going to do, as her suicide plan?!

"N. . . No. . . No!" Elesis cried. "Lemme go! _Let me go_!" She started to struggle in my arms, and I had a hard time holding on.

The voice changed, and laughed, maniacally. Elesis began to scream.

"Elesis!" I cried.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" she kept repeating. What was going on with her?!

"It's funny. . ." the voice whispered. "His pain is your anguish. . . and your pain is also _his_ anguish. . ."

"No, _let me go_!" Elesis yelled. "I don't want to hear any of this!" She held her hands to her ears, tears streaming down her face. "Go away! Go away!"

The voice cackled, then died away. It wasn't long before it returned, however.

"If you want to see Ronan again. . . keep moving. . ."

"No. . . No. . . Go away. . ." Elesis whispered, her ears still covered. "Just go away!"

I held her tightly to me, trying to keep her from moving much, and held her hand with the glaive in it. "We have to keep going. . ."

"Jin's right. . ." Sieghart said, and continued walking.

Elesis let out a low moan, before she bit my hand. I let out a cry of pain and winced, but took the bite. I could feel something wet flow down my hand, but I didn't look.

"Elesis. . ." Ryan coughed again, looking a bit green.

"Why did you bring her here, you wench?" cam a voice, this time from nearby.

"Because I'll enjoy it. . . to see the leader of Grand Chase. . . snap."

Suddenly, the floor gave in as we were walking.

"Not again!" Sieghart cried. Ryan and I yelped, and Elesis nearly dropped the glaive. She was hardly responding anymore.

We all landed, but I on my head, which knocked me out.


	73. Chapter 72: Collapse

"Not again!"

"Ahh!"

Sieghart could both taste and smell the sour wind as the floor gave way to an opening when he opened his mouth to catch his breath again. The drop seemed to last longer than it did, but when he landed, he skidded forward, Ryan sliding right beside him after the impact. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jin and his daughter. Elesis looked dazed, blood leaking from her mouth.

"Ele. . .sis . . ." Jin muttered before closing his eyes and passing out. "El . . ."

A voice echoed throughout the room, and Sieghart breathed in sharply. It was then he realized that the stench in this room wasn't as horrifying as it was above. But that voice . . . !

"Heheh, so you've arrived," the voice said, sounding a bit lofty.

Switching his gaze from his daughter and subordinate, he saw four figures in the distance. Three of those figures could be counted as halves while the fourth one was rather tall.

"Kaze'aze, is that you!?" He heard Ryan call out.

"Why of course you foolish mutt," one of the figures replied. "Who would actually do something like this . . . ?"

"Kaze . . . aze . . . ?" His daughter struggled to say.

"That's right . . ."

"Why . . ." Elesis said, voice trailing off.

"Why not?" The Kaze'aze said as the tallest figure walked past the smaller shapes and into view.

It was Lass, but of course he was possessed by the Kaze'aze. Again.

"Lass . . .?" Elesis muttered questionably.

"Stupid girl ," Kaze'aze-possessed-Lass growled. "Anyways, I want to show you something . . . hehehe . . ."

Sieghart's body trembled as he tried getting up. By the time Sieghart was on his hands and knees, Kaze'aze had Lass come over and snatch him by the hair and saw Lass grab his daughter by the shoulder, dragging the two across the room.

"What about me!" Ryan whined in complaint.

"You don't matter right now," Kaze'aze spat.

Suddenly, the Kaze'aze dropped them on the ground. Here, Sieghart noticed where the stench was originating from, but it was too weak to make him sick. He heard his daughter cough a bit and looked at the three figures. They were closer now, and he could start to make out what they were. Two of the figures crouched over the third one.

"Hm, look closely," the Kaze'aze told them.

"No," Elesis said.

Sieghart turned to improve his view. His belly lurched.

"Ronan . . . ?" Sieghart questioned.

"No . . . No . . ." Elesis said frantically.

Squinting, Sieghart saw exactly what he didn't want to see. It was those dogs they had encountered in the town before . . . the ones that, if you touched them, would make you begin to rot. The stench didn't make him sick, but this sight did: the two figures crouched over the third were the dogs, and the third figure was . . . Ronan. The dogs were eating at the parts of Ronan that had already rotted and fell off of him, which thankfully didn't hurt him at all. However, Sieghart knew by experience that the rotting process was filled with excruciating pain.

"What have you done?!" Sieghart shouted.

"I've killed an important part of your team . . . well," Kaze'aze said smoothly. "Half-killed. We're getting close on the 'killed' thing . . . "

"Why . . . why . . . ?" Elesis said, voice shaking.

The Kaze'aze looked down at her and snickered a bit, repeating what she had said earlier, "Hmm, Why not?"

"Why Ronan . . . Why him . . . why . . . why . . . why . . . ?"

Unease fluttered in Sieghart's stomach. His daughter was losing her cool, but he understood why. The fact that the Kaze'aze broke off into a laughing fit didn't comfort him at all. That's when he noticed that Ronan was looking at Elesis, or at least in her direction. His eyes were clouded as if he were in a daze.

"Elesis . . ." Ronan said weakly.

Elesis looked up slowly saying, "Hn? R . . . Ronan . . . ?"

Tears welled in Ronan's eyes. "I'm sorry, Elesis . . . I can't see you . . . my vision's gone," the dying man said, biting his lip. "Soon I'll die . . ."

Sieghart didn't know how, but Elesis gained the strength to run over to her fiancé. The dogs backed away as if to give them time to be alone. From here, Sieghart could only watch and listen to their conversation.

"Elesis?" Ronan called out quietly. "Where are you . . .?"

"Go away!" Elesis shouted, swinging Ronan's glaive at the dogs before she knelt at Ronan's side, crying. "Ronan, no . . . why . . ."

"I was so angry . . . I just . . . wanted to get revenge and kill the Kaze'aze . . . but I couldn't . . . she had Lass . . ."

"W-Why . . . Why did you do what Arme did . . . you should've known."

"Elesis . . . do you still have my glaive?" Ronan asked.

"Y-Yes . . . Please don't leave me, Ronan . . . I don't want you to go . . ." Elesis set the weapon by his hand. Her tears fell down on Ronan. "Ronan, please . . ."

After touching the glaive with his hands, he gripped it. "Elesis . . ." He said, reaching to her with his other hand. Elesis grabbed his hand gently as he closed his eyes, whispering, "I love you . . . You know that?"

"Yes . . . And I l-love you too . . . please . . . don't leave me . . ."

"Be strong for me . . . please . . ."

"Please . . . No! Don't go! Ronan!" Elesis pleaded.

"I'll try to stall . . ." Ronan replied feebly. "Holy Inferno . . ."

A rune appeared beneath them and it glowed brightly. Although Sieghart was a little farther away from them, he could feel its comforting warmth.

Elesis bent down and kissed the Royal Guard Master softly, despite his state.

"Oh, Elesis . . . I love you . . ." Ronan told her again.

"I love you too, Ronan. If you die," Elesis said. "Then I'll come with you . . ."

Sieghart's heart sank. She was going to kill herself?! And leave him alone?! Trying to distract himself from thinking about his own self, he reasoned that she wouldn't. After all, she was the leader of Grand Chase. Of course she wouldn't do that, right?! And leave him alone . . . Hah, of course his daughter wouldn't do such a thing . . . right?

"No . . . don't do that," Ronan said to his relief. "You don't want to leave your father alone . . ."

"But . . . I can't bear it," she told her lover. "I can't bear it if you leave me . . . and . . . he still has a son . . . I'll go with you wherever you go, Ronan . . ."

"Elesis," Ronan said. Through the pain, Sieghart could hear he was sad and worried. Sieghart knew why. He wanted Elesis to live. Sieghart did too, but that was for another reason. Ronan opened his eyes and looked at Elesis, almost as if he was looking into her eyes, but he was blind now.

The inferno died away and the rotting seemed to have ceased.

"Ronan," Sieghart called out finally. He didn't want to sound too much of a sap, however. "Don't die."

Ronan weakly hugged his fiancée. "D . . . do you think Arme could fix this . . .?" the man said, talking about the rest of his body.

"I-I don't . . . I don't know . . . I h-hope sh-she could . . ."

Sieghart's gaze wandered to see the two dogs, licking themselves clean after eating the rot. It made his blood boil, and wasn't surprised that it made his daughter's too when she shouted at them and threw a dragon lance at them with her spear. Sadly, they fled. And Elesis began to chase after one.

"Oh, man," gasped a raspy voice.

It was Ryan's. He didn't notice him run over as he was focused on Elesis's doings.

"What happened?! Ronan?!" Ryan shouted, dropping to the ground as he put a hand on his comrade's shoulder.

Elesis walked back over and called Ronan's name quietly, but he was silent.

"R-Ronan . . .?" she said.

"Hey, Ronan . . . Ronan?!" Ryan shouted.

"No . . . No! Ronan!" Elesis shouted, falling beside Ronan, shaking him. "Ronan, no! No!"

Sieghart was in utter dismay. His son-in-law to-be . . . dead . . . No hopes for future generations . . . and he was sure his daughter was set on killing herself now. He'd be alone! But he also knew if she joined Ronan so early, her late fiancé would be upset at her.

Lass collapsed and Sieghart knew that all the Kaze'aze wanted to see was Ronan die.

Elesis was screaming at the top of her lungs. "No! No! Why!? Ronan come back!" she screamed before falling over, sobbing horribly.

"The Royal Guard Master is dead . . ." Sieghart said simply.

"No, he can't be dead!" Elesis shouted. "Ronan can't be!"

In concern, Ryan called out to Elesis softly. "Elesis . . ."

"H-He'll wake up . . . Ronan, w-wake up . . . P-please . . . N-now . . ."

"Elesis, he's gone . . ." her father said.

"No, he's not gone . . ." Elesis reasoned, forgetting the rules of life and death. "He'll come back!"

"Damned Kaze'aze . . ." Ryan cursed.

"Unngh . . . wh . . . what happened?" Lass murmured, coming to.

"He's not dead . . .He's not dead . . ." Elesis chanted. "Ronan isn't dead . . ."

Ryan started crying too, his arm to his eyes to soak up the salty water. "Ronan . . ."

Sieghart closed his eyes. He couldn't take anymore of this . . . he couldn't see Ronan dead . . . death . . . there was nothing else that he taunted more than death, but there was almost nothing more that he hated than death. It took away his loved ones, his hopes, his dreams . . . Many times before this . . .

Opening his eyes, Elesis buried her face in Ronan's hair. "No, why . . . you promised . . . to never leave me . . ."

Lass came other and flinched as soon as he saw Ronan. "What . . . what's going o-- wh-what?! Ronan!?"

Elesis flashed a horribly cold look at Lass. "You . . . How could you have let yourself get possessed yet again?!"

Lass looked flabbergasted. "Wh-what!? I don't have control over who possesses me or not!"

"You should have been stronger at mind! And now . . . and now . . ."

Sieghart found himself standing up. "Elesis, don't blame Lass," he told her. "I wasn't his doing . . ."

"I . . . I . . . Sorry . . . I just . . ." Elesis looked down.

Sieghart sat next to her and hugged his daughter tightly, looking at the lifeless corpse he would have called his son one day . . .

"I wish Kaze'aze was dead . . . then Ronan wouldn't have died . . ." the girl said.

"I'll avenge him . . ." Lass growled.

"I'll help . . . !!" Ryan volunteered before starting to cry again.

Before he knew it, Elesis took her spear and aimed it at her chest. Ryan, Lass, and Sieghart lunged at her. Lass hugged her tightly so she couldn't move and Ryan gripped the spear. Sieghart held the spear with one hand, her arm with the other.

"Ah, no, stop!" Elesis shouted. "What are you doing?!"

Ronan wouldn't want this!!" Lass shouted back.

"I told him I'd go with him!" Elesis replied. "Let me go!"

"Ronan doesn't want you to do . . . he loved you . . . he still does . . . he always will!" he told her. "Isn't that good enough for you!?"

"B-But I . . ."

"Ronan would want you to live, Elesis. And maybe even move on. But if you can't move on, it's understandable!" Ryan added. "I'm sure he'd understand if you did, too, though . . . but . . . we know that Ronan doesn't want you to die . . ."

"I won't move on . . . I'll never move on . . ." Elesis said.

"Elesis, we need you!! You're our leader!"

"Says who . . ."

"The last thing we need right now is our leader dying," Sieghart muttered. "Grand Chase could disband and there would be no more hope for the world."

"We can't do it by ourselves," Lass said.

"Just find someone else to lead . . . I'm no use any longer . . . Not without Ronan . . ."

The three of them shouted her name, "_Elesis!"_

"I'm sorry," the red-headed swordsman apologized, "But I can't go on any longer . . . Just leave me be . . ."

"You'll be leaving Sieghart by himself with no family!" Ryan pointed out.

"Shut up!" Sieghart shouted. How'd he know he was sensitive about that?

"There's still Elsword . . ." his daughter pointed out in reply.

"I don't even know where he is," Sieghart said, a bit of sadness in his voice. "Elesis . . . I need you, too . . .'

"I'm sorry . . ."

"And you know . . .that Ronan wouldn't care . . . if you lived . . ." the thief said. "You know he wants you to live!"

"But what good is it if I can't be with Ronan . . . I loved him with all my heart, body, and soul, and now, he's gone . . . Forever . . ."

"Ronan left a piece of him with you . . . for you . . . Elesis . . . I know it's heartbreaking . . . but at least you could do is carry on his wish for you to live and banish evil from this world . . . If you really loved him, then why don't you live . . . and carry out his wishes?"

Looking over, it was Jin, coming out from the shadows.

Then something struck Ryan. Sieghart didn't know what was wrong with him, but he said, "And then you can die!"

"Shut up, Ryan!" Both Lass and Sieghart yelled.

"I don't think I can do it . . ." Elesis muttered hopelessly. "I don't think I can fulfill his wish this time . . .I just can't . . ."

"Why don't you? Ronan believe in you enough to trust you with that wish," Jin argued, not raising his voice. "Why don't you believe in yourself when the one that matters most still does, even after all of this?"

"I can't because . . . Everyone has a weakness, and mine has been exploited . . ." she told Jin. "It's broken me, my will, and I can't go on . . ."

"Please!" Lass interjected.

Jin frowned one of those disappointed frowns of his and took the spear away from the four of them and flung it far away.

"Sorry . . . but this may be the last time you see me . . ." Elesis said, trying to get up.

After almost falling over, the others held her down.

"Let me go! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Since you can't see the light," Sieghart said, feeling a bit upset. "We'll just have to take you as a prisoner . . ."

"What?!" She exclaimed.

Looking around, Sieghart assumed the others didn't look to pleased about what Sieghart had just said; except for Jin, his face was emotionless.

"You can't be serious . . ." Elesis said bluntly.

"Elesis, we can't have you dying, too . . ." Ryan said softly.

"We need you, even though you don't know it," Lass muttered.

"Quit trying to fool yourself," she replied. "You guys don't need me . . . any longer . . ."

"Just because you needed him doesn't mean that we don't!" Sieghart snapped.

"Don't you know how much Ronan meant to me?! It . . . it just hurts so badly right now . . ."

"Elesis . . . I know how it feels like," the immortal said. "I know what the pain feels like . . . I still feel it, Elesis . . ."

"I . . . I'm sorry . . . F-Father . . ."

"You have to be strong . . . I don't care how long it takes . . ." Sieghart said before adding, "We're still holding you prisoner . . . And until you've come to your senses, I'm in charge."

Both Ryan and Lass flinched.

"What?!" Ryan shouted.

"B-but . . ." Lass tried to counter.

"I doubt I could've led well anyway . . ." Elesis muttered.

"Lass, Ryan, you two carry Ronan's remnants out . . . Jin, keep an eye on Elesis . . . I'll make the way out . . ."

"Know this . . . If you don't watch me well enough, I'll be dead . . ." the redhead murmured.

All of them let go except for Jin who looked crestfallen. He griped her by the wrist and didn't let go, but didn't look at her. Rather, he stared at the ground.

"I can pick him up by myself!" Ryan shouted at Lass.

"Yeah?!" Lass shouted back, leaning over him to intimidate Ryan with his height. "Then I'll . . . just carry his glaive . . ."

"No!" Elesis intercepted, grabbing the glaive.

"U-uh?" Lass stuttered, watching as Elesis snatched it as if she might die if she released it.

Ryan turned and whispered very lowly, "Paranoid."

"It's all I have left . . ." Elesis whispered.

"I heard that, you mutt," Lass said, whacking him as he helped Ryan carry Ronan anyways.

"Please be careful with him," Elesis asked of them.

They both looked over and said, "Of course!"

"I wish," Elesis thought out loud, "There was a way to bring him back . . ."

Sieghart was apart from the others. He was looking up at the opening in the ceiling at the moment, the one that led them to see the terrible doom of not only their comrade and close friend, but a family member, by flesh and blood and a family member by heart. Staring, it was as if he were in a trance, thinking of something else . . . _Lich, _Sieghart sharply said as if it were a curse. He knew that the others weren't paying attention, so they didn't pick it up. Then he went on, watching them from afar.

"What's wrong?" Jin said to Elesis as she whimpered slightly.

"N-Nothing . . ." Was her reply.

A loud noise filled the area and there was yelling.

"Hey, don't drop him! You idiot!" Lass cried out.

"I didn't! I was just fumbling . . ." Ryan cried in return, then murmuring an apology. "Sorry Ronan . . ."

Elesis let out a small cry and Lass commanded Ryan to apologize to her with a sense of superiority in his voice. "Apologize to Elesis, loser!"

"Sorry, Elesis!"

"Ronan . . ." Was all she could say.

Ryan started tearing up and yelled at Lass, "Now I feel guilty, thanks a lot, Lass!!"

"Hey, stop crying!" the tall thief said, surprised by Ryan's sentimentality.

"I-It's okay, Ryan . . ." Elesis told the druid. "You didn't mean it . . .'

"Look, hey, wipe your face," Lass kindly said. "I'll carry Ronan a little more."

Wiping his tears from his eyes on his forearm, Lass murmured, _Eh, he's still just a kid . . ._

"Where's Sieghart?!" Ryan inquired loudly, noticing Sieghart was not around. "Where'd that hole come from!?"

Jin looked over and saw the hole for himself. It was where Sieghart was just standing moments ago.

"Not again," Sieghart's daughter sighed.

Lass and Ryan then carried Ronan into the hole, where Sieghart met them.

"Ah, I want wondering when you'd notice . . ." he said.

"Wow, you did all this?!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Uh, no, I found a switch," Sieghart said, blinking. Then he chuckled, "But it's great that you think I'm strong!"

"Eh? Oh."

"What's the switch do?" Elesis asked.

"Well, first it opened this dumb wall up," Sieghart grunted. "There's another button, but it's got an odd feeling to it . . ."

"Press it?" his daughter suggested.

"If you say so."

At that moment, Sieghart pressed that button, and in that same moment the room they were just hosted an explosion, which sent them flying through the tunnel.

"_Aack!_" Ryan screamed. "_Hold on to Ronan!!_"

"_I am!_" Lass screamed in retort as Elesis yelped.

They all landed, skidding. Lass flied past all of them, yelling orders to Ryan about hanging onto Ronan while Ryan hugged Ronan; he was crying for his remains not to get hurt all the while. Sieghart landed on his back with a small exclamation while Ryan landed on his back, shielding the body.

"Ronan!" Lass whined, apparently worried that the cadaver was damaged. "He's alright, right?! I'm sorry Ronan! Stupid button."

"He's OK," Ryan growled. "Stop trying to dust him!"

"I'm sorry, Ronan . . ." Elesis muttered.

"Eh?" The two of them said. "Ehh . . ."

"I shouldn't have told father to press that . . . I'm so sorry . . .

Sieghart got up and glanced at the three. Ryan and Lass exchanged quick whispers, Ryan saying '_Your fault' _while Lass snapped back with a '_Shut up'_, looking obsessed about keeping the carcass in mint condition. Ryan was just trying to keep him from touching Ronan too much.

Jin was still clinging onto Elesis' wrist as he groaned. "Owch . . ."

"Do you think Arme can bring him back . . . ?" Elesis asked.

"Well . . . Umm . . . His body . . ."

"I know . . . but she can fix his body up, and then bring him back . . ."

"I think we'd need the rest of his body . . .but those dogs . . ."

Elesis looked down sadly, and Sieghart could tell Jin was concerned.

"Cheer up . . ." his underling said. "We might find a way . . ."

"I hope . . ." his daughter replied.

Sieghart sat up and said something about the Lich once more while most of them weren't paying attention. Sadly for Sieghart, Elesis had heard.

"Lich . . .?" Elesis echoed what she heard.

"What?" Jin said, all of them looking her way (except for Ryan and Lass who were still quarreling about the body).

"Father . . . What about Lich . . .?"

"What?" Sieghart grumbled. "N . . . nothing . . ."

"Okay . . ."

"What's . . . that . . .?" Lass said, breaking away from the quarrel.

"Stupid dogs, quit yapping!" A familiar voice shouted.

"A-Arme?!"

"Lass?"

"It's you . . . ! Arme, it's Ronan . . . He . . ." Lass tried to explain.

"Ronan?" Arme said, coming into view with three of the rotting dogs on leashes. "What happened to hi – _Shut up you stupid mutts!_"

"Burn them!" Lass cried.

"Arme, what's with those dogs?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, just planning a little tortuting for 'em."

"Ummm . . .?"

"Yes?"

"Ronan?!" Lass cried out once more.

Arme noticed the body, and in astonishment her eyes widened. "Oh my God . . . It's not . . . no . . ."

"Please, can't you do something?!" Lass begged his lover.

"I . . . I'm sorry," Arme apologized. "But I can't raise the dead . . ."

"Please, can't you try?" Elesis also pleaded.

"I'm sorry . . . I can't . . ."

"Oh . . . Kay . . ." Elesis murmured. "Wait. . . those dogs. . . were the same ones. . . that were. . . eating Ronan. . ."

"I knew there was something odd about them . . ." The mage said.

"Ugh! Get rid of them!" Lass shouted.

"We might need them, Lass," Ryan informed the silver-haired boy.

Then Arme said, "I plan to set the putrid things on fire."

"Arme, could you get like . . . Ronan's body parts back?"

"Uhm . . . I'm not sure if that's possible," Arme replied to Ryan. "I mean, these things can rot things . . ."

"Can't you un-rot things!? I mean . . . Ronan . . ." Ryan gasped desperately before bursting into tears. "He's _gooone!_"

"Stop crying!" Lass said. "You crybaby!"

"I'm not sure if I can un-rot them or not . . ." Arme said.

Lass patted Ryan on the back saying, "It's OK . . ."

Ryan sniffed.

The man who had lived for more than six hundred years noticed his daughter avoiding everyone's gaze. Jin wasn't even looking at her, although he practically shackled her.

"If you want to revive someone from the dead," Arme said with a serious tone. "Be prepared for a trip to Hell . . ."

Jin looked nervous suddenly. Ryan, however, shouted in shock.

"_Ronan's in Hell!?_"

"Er . . . No . . . It's simply that it takes a trip to Hell to revive someone. And, sometimes, you can't come back."

Sieghart felt like he had an obligation that was calling for him.

"Then it seems fitting that the one that has all the time in the world to go there. I'll just have a hard time getting out, but I'm immortal," Sieghart told them all before trying too hard to be positive. "What's worse than rotting for all eternity?"

"I-I want to go, if it means bringing back Ronan!" his daughter volunteered.

"You two both know it's extremely dangerous?" Arme said cautiously.

"Yes . . ." Sieghart answered. "Elesis, why don't you stay here . . .?"

"No, I'll go . . ."

"Elesis . . . I don't want to lose you . . ."

"I know, but I'm determined to do this . . ."

"Fine . . ." Sieghart surrendered, looking genuinely concerned for his daughter.

"I promise that I'll make it out alive."

"Sieghart, how much do you, uh, know about necromancy?" Arme inquired the ancient.

"Um. Not really anything," Sieghart shrugged. "Never really cared. Why? It's about magic, you should know about it."

Sieghart hugged his daughter out of concern as Arme responded.

"It's just that . . . Never mind," the purple haired girl said. "All I know is that you need to go to Hell in order to revive someone from the dead. C'mon, let's get out of here, it smells . . ."

"Help me pick his body up . . ." Lass muttered to Ryan.

"H-hey it's still Ronan . . ." the elf said, looking a bit hurt. "Don't need to refer him as just a body . . ."

"Fine," Lass grunted, whispering, _'If it helps you cope . . .'_

"Just hurry up and let's go," Arme told them.

The two of them lifted up the body. His limbs hung limply towards the ground. Sieghart could see Elesis looking at Ronan for a second before looking away and stood up.

"Where do you want us to go . . .?" Ryan asked, waiting for orders.

"Follow me," Arme commanded, and they did.

Jin looked a little green, but still held on to Elesis' wrist. He said nothing, and didn't reply when she said something.

"I feel like a little kid . . ." was what the redhead said.

When they finally got out of the tunnel, Arme took a deep breath. "Finally!"

Ryan sighed and smiled for the first time in a while.

"'Least it's not raining," Elesis said, looking on the bright side.

"I wonder if Ronan caught a cold . . ." Ryan questioned.

"The dead . . . can't catch colds . . ."

"I mean before he d. . . died," he explained, crying once more. "I wish Ronan were here!!"

This set off a chain of crying. First Ryan, then Elesis, then Lass, and lastly Arme.

"C-C'mon guys . . ." Arme said, trying to get them to move along. "Let's go."

Ryan hurried along while Lass tried to keep up the pace, which made them argue about the speed they were traveling at. Elesis followed behind slowly, Jin never letting her go. Sieghart looked tired, failing to conceal it.

"Maybe we should rest for a bit," Arme suggested.

The two clowns murmured in agreement while Sieghart, Jin, and Elesis said nothing of it. Arme set next to a tree and after a few more steps forward, Sieghart collapsed.

--

As Sieghart collapsed on the ground before him, Jin blinked in surprise, but pieced together the reasons of how he could have collapsed so easily. The death of Ronan took a toll on him – he needed rest. Frankly, so did Jin, but that wouldn't stop him from protecting Elesis from herself.

"Father . . . you okay?" Elesis asked.

Lass set Ronan down and Ryan came over to help, Lass sitting next to Arme and hugging her tightly. Jin noticed that he looked frightened.

"I'm fine," Sieghart finally said.

"You okay, Lass?" Arme asked.

"I dunno," The thief said. "I mean . . . Ronan . . ."

"I know . . . I know . . ."

Tears fell from Arme's eyes, but few they were. Lass closed his eyes wearily as she confessed that she hoped that the pain would stop. Soon he went limp as unconsciousness welcomed him.

"Guess we'd better sleep too, huh," Elesis said.

Jin also noticed Ryan looked exhausted as he wondered aloud, wondering where Lire was.

"Hopefully safe," she told the druid.

As if on cue, Lire fell out of the bushes. Ryan tackled her in delight and then hugged her. She told how she was looking for him, and then Ryan informed Lire on their Loss.

"W-What?! Ronan's g-gone?!"

"He's dead," Jin's superior muttered.

" I-I can't believe it. . . D-Did Kaze'aze do it. . .?" Lire asked in disbelief.

"Yes . . ."

"Didn't Ronan realize. . ." the female elf said, voice trailing off as she broke out in tears. "Oh, I just can't believe it!"

This caused Ryan to start crying once more. Elesis looked up at the sky before Sieghart called out to her. However, he passed out from exhaustion before he could continue.

"Father . . ." Elesis whispered before lying down on her back and closing her eyes. "G'night . . ."

Jin saw Lire and Ryan practically cry themselves to sleep. Sieghart called out Ronan's name in his sleep before Jin realized he was asleep . . .

"Ngh . . ." Elesis made a sound as she came to consciousness. Looking around, she looked to see if everyone was asleep.

Sieghart was snoring; Lire snuggled into Ryan's chest while he hugged her in his sleep. Lass was sprawled out on the ground with Arme's head on his chest. Jin was sitting against a tree, eyes shaded with a slight snore emanating from him, still clinging onto her wrist.

"I may or may not come back . . ." Elesis whispered, getting up and walking away.

"Elesis . . .?" Jin whispered, waking as she parted for he felt an absence of matter in his hands..

"Jin . . . ? You're awake?"

"Now I am . . . where are you going?"

"For a walk . . . I can't sleep . . .

" . . . Alright . . ."

"See ya . . ." Elesis bid her farewell, heading off into the direction of Hell Bridge.

"I'll take care of Ronan's body for you . . . while you talk your . . .walk . . ." Jin whispered after her softly.

_Elesis wandered for a while before finding the entrance to Hell. Walking in, she felt the intense heat, and continued to wander until she came to a point where flames shot up from geysers that covered the ground as far as the eye could see. Looking around for a way out, two voices called out to her._

_ "Dear, child . . ." "There is a way . . ." "But on second thought, there isn't one."_

_ "W-Who's there?" the swordsman asked._

_ A chuckling was heard echoing throughout Hell._

_ "You've come far, dear Knight." "Too bad you've come for naught."_

_ "Who's there . . . Answer me or I'll kill you!" the girl threatened._

_ "How can you kill something you cannot see?"_

_ "I-I'll find you, I will!"_

_ "We're right before you, child, just come closer . . ." a voice echoed as a pair of eyes appeared over the land of flame geysers called Burning Hell . . ._


	74. Chapter 73: Burning Hell

There was not one set of eyes, but two. I watched as they seemed to draw closer to me, but stopped at the edge of the fire. I stepped back a bit, a bit in fright.

"Dear Knight," one voice said hypnotically.

"You've come a bit far, and you wish to come through, yes?" another said, almost in the same, hypnotic voice as the other.

"Y-Yes," I answered shakily.

Then they both appeared before me, two dark necromancers, both Liches, but not quite the ones we had faced.

"We serve the King of Hell. . ." one said, while the other said, "We serve the Great Necromancer Lich!"

"Come with me if you wish to pass safely. . ." they both said, reaching a covered hand towards me, "and to resurrect your loved one."

Then it seemed as if they both noticed each other.

"You liar!" one yelled while the other yelled, "Don't listen to it, it is a liar!" I could only stare in confusion.

"Who're you going to listen to?!" one demanded of me.

"That fraud?!"

"That traitor?!"

"What. . ." I only said. What exactly was this. . .? I knew better than to trust a Lich, but this was. . . crazy.

"Knight!" One pointed at me as the other said, "You must choose which one of us to trust!"

"I don't trust either of you," I answered.

"Oh jeez, thanks," one Lich said.

"Fine," the other grumbled, "find someone else to lead you across the flame geysers."

"Well, the last time I was here, you Liches tried to kill me. . ." I explained.

They both took a step towards me, but then got blasted with flames. "Ouch!" they cried.

"Fine!" I heard. Then they both looked at each other before running up to me and began to pull my arms in two different directions. I screamed.

"I'll take her!" one growled to the other.

"Hey, get off, you liar!" Were they fighting over me?!

"She's mine to guide rightfully!"

"Shut up!"

"Get off!" I yelled. "Let me go! That hurts!"

"Hey, you're going to kill her the way you're going!" one Lich said.

"You are too!" the other replied.

"Liar!"

"Loser!"

"Hey, why don't we just kill her and then reincarnate her body into two?" the Lich suggested, stopping his pull. Wait, what?

"No!" I cried, though they ignored me.

"You're a genius," the other Lich said, stopping as well.

"I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. . ."

"You're both idiots," I growled, and realized that one Lich was gray, the other black.

"It'll be easy to kill you," the black Lich said to me. "We could just rip you in two."

"Then again," the gray Lich said, "she can still fight back. . ." No duh.

Soon they began to start tugging at me again from both sides.

"Rip!" they cried. "Rip, rip, let's rip her in half!"

I had enough of this. "I'll kill both of you!" I yelled and managed to slip out of their grasp when they were slightly startled by my outburst. My escape was short-lived as I nearly ran into a flame geyser that had decided to spring up in front of me at that moment.

With fire in front of me and two Liches in back, I decided to face the Liches and drew a sword. "You're both de-" I began before another flame geyser went up, and startled, I fell back in surprise. Luckily, the other flames had went out, or I'd have been roasted. The Liches laughed, and I simply growled, annoyed.

"Listen," the gray Lich said after he stopped laughing. "Both of us will take you to a safe route to revive your beloved Ronan fully."

I knew I shouldn't be trusting a monster, but I still said, "R-Really?"

"Yes, indeed," the black Lich said. "But. One of us is a liar!"

"It's you!" the gray Lich accused.

"Stop lying," the black Lich growled. "You're the liar, it's obvious."

"Get a life!"

"W-What?! Why don't _you_?!"

I wondered how to tell which one was lying.

"Gr, die!" The gray Lich thrust his staff at the black Lich, and shot out a bolt of lightning.

"Hey!" The black Lich barely dodged the lightning. "Let's not quarrel now!"

"Well, how do I tell which of you is lying?" I asked, hoping to stop them from fighting, and possibly killing me while they went at it.

"It's him!" they both cried, and pointed at each other.

"This is going to get nowhere," I grumbled.

"The only way to find out is to trust one of us and try," the gray Lich said.

"I'm not too tempted to trust either of you," I told him.

"Don't you want to see your precious one again?!" the black Lich asked.

"Of course she doesn't," the gray Lich answered. "That's why she doesn't trust us.

"You have a good point brother."

"W-Wait, of course I want to see him again!" I cried. That was why I came down in the first place!

"I don't know whether to be honored by your words or insulted," the gray Lich said. I was confused at first, but realized I was being ignored _again_.

"Why?"

"Because you're the liar!"

"What! You're the liar!"

I sighed in annoyance.

"Test us!" The black Lich turned to me. "See who is the liar!"

"How?" I asked.

"I don't know!" the gray Lich answered. "Just do it. It'll expose the liar!" I could see he was angry.

I asked the first question I thought of. "Uh, what's my name?"

The two Liches looked at each other before answering. "I don't know."

"Ask a better question!" the black Lich demanded. Personally, I wasn't too good with this.

"Uh. . . First, my name is Elesis," I said. "Now, what's my name?"

"EIesis," the gray Lich answered, while the black Lich answered, "Elesis." When I thought back to this later, I realized the gray Lich had said my name differently, but I hadn't heard the difference. Thus, I thought they both got my name correct.

"What color's my hair?" I asked.

"I'm not good with colors," the gray Lich answered.

"I'm - hey, that'd sound racist," the black Lich answered. I wondered if they were idiots.

Holding out my sword, I asked, "Okay, what's this?"

"It's a regular sword," the gray Lich answered.

"It's a sword a Gladiator uses!" the black Lich answered, almost gleefully. I supposed my father _did_ use the same type of sword as me. . . He just held it differently.

"Well, what's this?" I dropped my spear to the floor. I hated carrying that thing, it was too long.

"It's a lance!" the gray Lich said.

"It's a spear," the black Lich answered.

I tried something else. Holding up my hand, I asked, "What is this?" Stupid, yes, but. . .

"It's your hand," the black Lich answered.

"An important part of your body," the gray Lich answered.

I pulled at my hair a bit in frustration. "What's Gardosen's name?"

"Gardosen, the Ruler of HeII," the gray Lich said.

"Gardosen, the Ruler of Hell," the black Lich answered.

"What color are my eyes?" I nearly yelled.

"Er, crimson!"

"Red."

I had no choice, or my head would explode. If I remembered what Arme told me one day. . .

"My eyes. . . They're red," I said, remembering the conversation more clearly, and almost repeated what she said. "'Crimson is a deeper color, with a slight bit of blue added.'" It was a small chance, but I wasn't going to keep this up any longer. "I. . . trust the black Lich."

They both stared at me. I stared back.

"What?" I asked after a while of staring.

Suddenly, the black Lich laughed at the gray Lich and said, "I won!" and smacked him.

"Ow!" the gray Lich cried. "Impossible! My words were flawless!"

"Remember, you're lying, right?" the black Lich said.

"Shut up, you!" the gray Lich growled.

"Maybe I should test you two some more. . ." I muttered, suddenly feeling unsure.

"Hey, wait, no, I'm telling the truth!" the black Lich cried. "I promise! Just follow me."

"I don't trust monsters, but. . . I suppose," I said, and followed the black Lich from way far back. The gray Lich sighed, before he faded away. Hopefully, I made the right choice. . .

I was trying not to get myself burnt as the black Lich lead me through the flaming geyser field, and nearly got burnt.

Finally, the black Lich stopped in a calmer-looking area. "This is a safe place. The geysers here are dormant." He turned to me as I came up behind him.

"Good. . ." I sighed in relief.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't tell you everything," the black Lich said to me. "I mean, the gray one said that both of us could take you to revive your loved one. I agreed. But the gray one would steal his soul if you chose him."

That alarmed me, but I tried to keep calm. "Oh?"

"However. . ." the black Lich continued. "I cannot revive him without his soul. You have to find it."

"O-Okay. . ." I answered. What did a soul look like?

"Which brings us to why we're here." The black Lich leaned a bit to the right as he said that, and then jumped, getting scorched. "Ouch!"

"So, what's here?" I asked.

"In these geysers - stupid freaking geysers - are the burning souls of those who are suffering!" he looked around. "There's a lot of 'em, yeah?"

I had noticed the large amount of geysers. "Yeah. . ." I said. "But you said they were dormant over here?"

"Um, yeah. These right here that we're above were revived," he said. Revived back to life? "One. . . got turned immortal, so it was always empty." The Lich sniffed. "Poor geyser didn't have a soul to make it a real geyser."

"My dad?" I wondered if this was my dad's, er. . . geyser. "Sieghart?"

"Your _dad_?" the black Lich cried. "Pft, don't mention him, we don't favor him down here. He had that really big one over there." He pointed to one that looked about twice as big as most of the other ones. "The stronger one's soul is, the bigger the geyser. And the deeper. And the more hot-hot-hotty it is."

I looked in, but it was so deep, I couldn't see the bottom, so I leaned in a bit, hoping I wouldn't fall. There seemed to be an odd-looking sword in a crack in the empty geyser.

"Hey, what's that?" I asked.

"We're not supposed to touch that," the black Lich told me. "Kaze'aze put that there to-ack, I'm not supposed to tell you!"

Shrugging, I reached down for it, but pulled my hand back when I noticed that it was blood red, with what looked like veins connected to the hilt. It seemed like the blade was acting like a syringe, sucking an odd, purplish aura from the hole.

"Hey, don't touch that!" the black Lich yelled. "Kaze'aze gave us orders not to budge that thing!"

"Hmph." I looked back in and suddenly, the crack grew a bit, into a crevice. I jumped back, alarmed.

"Would you look at that," the black Lich said. Then I heard some sound coming from the crevice, and leaned down to listen.

It was Sieghart, my father.

"_Jin?! What! How could you let Elesis get away?!_"

I couldn't tell him what I was doing, as he would've tried to stop me.

"_What do you mean, 'you're sorry'?! You should've tried to stop her!_"

I tried calling out his name to see if he heard me.

"_Yeah whatever, keep apologizing._"

Suddenly, the crevice gave way even more, and I jumped back in surprise.

"_Did you hear that? No, it was just me. Oh, Elesis. . . Oh, my Elesis. . . I've lost my son-in-law, and now my little girl is going to go face Hell. . ._"

I wanted to tell him I was fine, but if he had heard me, I doubt my father would've heard me again.

The sword started to give off a more bloody aura, and it chilled me to see it.

"_I'll never see her again, will I. . ._" His voice was getting muffled, and the crevice started to crumble a bit. "_My Elesis. . ._"

Soon, the bloody aura filled the crevice completely, and I could no longer hear my father's voice.

"So that's what Kaze'aze was doing. . ." a voice behind me said, causing me to jump. "It's not every day you see a soul weak-- Crap, I wasn't supposed to say that."

"What?!" I cried in dismay. "No!"

"I'm sorry Kaze'aze!" the black Lich cried in equal dismay.

I did this to my own father. . . How could I?

"Elesis!" the black Lich said. "Not now. Go find Ronan's soul. . ." It seemed like he was intent on helping me.

"I. . . Right. . ." I said. "How?"

"Do you want a hint?" he asked. "I'll give you on. Look for the ones with strong souls. And if you look closely into the flame of the geyser, you can see a weapon they used in their lifetime.

"If you grab it, you might be able to contact him. But it's scolding hot, and it'll burn your hands crispy!" the black Lich held up his bony hand for emphasis.

"I'll do that. . ." I said, trying not to imagine the burning, and began to peer into various geysers.

"Good luck," the black Lich said. "Just, don't get fried. We'll have to dig a _huge_ hole for you!"

I didn't answer, not wanting to think about that either. Too bad I didn't hear what the black Lich said after I left to search.

After a while of searching, I found a hole with an enormous crevice inside.

"Whoa. . ."

There was an indigo fog leaking out from the crevice, and I was wondering if it was possibly Ronan's.

Suddenly, flames from the geyser inside shot up, going everywhere due to the fog fueling it.

I tried not to back away as I reached in.

"Get away from there!" I backed away, startled. The crevice cracked even more-so than it had before.

"Who's there?!" I demanded.

"I don't know," I was answered. "What do you want with _me_?"

"I. . ." I didn't know what to say exactly, but if it was Ronan. . . "I want Ronan back."

"Ronan? Who's Ronan?!" I guess that wasn't him. . . "That's such an odd name! It's so. . . familiar!" The voice was odd and twisted, sometimes echoing a bit.

"It's not an odd name!" I shouted.

"I. . . I think. . . I-" There was a yell. "Get away!" The flames sparked up once more.

I felt like giving up. This was hopeless, wasn't it? Who was I to try and bring back the dead?

As I felt myself start to cry, I could see through the flames, some weapon.

"Ah. . . I. . . I. . ." There was a slight pause. "I remember. A little. In my lifetime. I used to fight for good."

"Like Ronan. . ." I said softly, more to myself than this voice.

"But I remembered I died making a foolish decision. . ." it continued.

"You did?" I asked.

"I was stupid and too caught up in my anger," it told me. "Now I have to suffer this pain for the rest of eternity." The voice faltered a bit.

Without thinking, I said, "I'm sorry. . ."

"It. . . It's not your fault. Wh-What's your name?" it asked.

"I. . . I'm Elesis," I told it.

"Elesis, huh? That's. . . an odd name," it said. "It makes me feel. . . weird. But t's kinda weird talking to a hole - I mean, geyser."

"It's not an odd name," I said, defending my name given to me by my father. "Not really."

The voice cried out a bit, and the flames shot up again. I could hear it scream, and I wanted to clamp my hands over my ears.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking at the weapon. It looked familiar.

"It hurts. . ." the voice groaned. "It's like I have something inside of me. I don't remember who I am. . . I just remembered what I did, how I died. . ."

"I wish. . . You didn't have to die," I said. Why was I wishing that for someone I didn't know?

"But, my past haunts me!" the voice cried. "My failure. . . at being a Knight. . . It's like my weapon hates me for letting it down. . . I knew that the sword was cursed, but. . . I weakened so much. My soul was weakened, my hopes deterred.

"I lost my control over my sword. I used to be trained to use it. Instead, it weighed me down."

"But why?" I asked.

"Why what?"

"Why did it weigh you down? If you were trained to use it, then it should've been like an extension of your body," I explained. "You would've fine-tuned yourself to use it, and it should've been easy to control."

"The sword and its kind was cursed," the voice said. "All of those swords, cursed. I was trained to use it, yes, but. . . my soul, it was weakened, by. . . by disheartening events."

"I remember a weapon my loved used. . ." I said softly, remembering. "The tyrfing, he told me, was cursed."

"Tyrfing. . ." the voice mused. "I think I used. . . something that sounded like that. But, its curse overwhelmed me as the events continued. The disheartening events was. . . was letting down the one I loved. I. . . I loved her so much. . . I just don't know who I am, or who she is, anymore. . .

"When that happened, I. . . I didn't now what to do. I guess . . . I just gave up."

"You shouldn't have gave up. . ." I said. "Because, she wouldn't have wanted you to give up, no matter what happened. I once said some things that may have hurt _my_ love, but. . . I want to take those back, but it's too late now."

"I. . . I'm sorry," it said, then cried out. "This! It's such a thorn in my side! My weapon, it's making me suffer!" Flames shot up again.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" I asked, not shying away from the intensity of the flames.

"_Remove it_!" it cried, talking about the weapon. "_I don't want it anymore_!"

"I. . ." I started to decline, but then said, "Okay," and reached for the weapon.

The flames were so hot, so painful, all I could feel was an odd sensation, as my hand began to burn away. I bit my lip as I managed to grip the hilt of the weapon. The weapon's curse began to surge through my body, and started draining my strength.

"_Take it out_!" the voice screamed.

"I. . . can't. . ." I groaned.

"_Please_!" it cried desperately.

"I. . . don't have the strength." I closed my eyes. It figured I would probably die here. Then I realized something had stopped.

Opening my eyes, I saw that the flames had died down, and the sword disappeared. "Huh?"

I could hear panting.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Yeah. . . It really hurts," the voice told me.

"I-I'm sorry."

"That's fine."

I began to look for the weapon, wondering where it had gone off to.

"Ooh," the voice moaned. "It hurts. . ." Then the sword appeared again.

As I grabbed the hilt again, I realized that it looked so familiar.

"It. . . It looks like. . ." My grip loosened.

"Please, try harder," the voice asked.

"This. . . tyrfing," I said. "It looks like. . . Ronan's." Could it be. . .? Or was I just imagining things?

The voice chuckled. "Maybe you can chuck it back at him whenever it decides to leave me alone. Was he trained to wield these weapons too?"

"Y-Yes. . ." I said, as I started to become flooded by memories. "He was so good at it. . . H-He used other weapons too, but I think he was best with this one. . ."

"Wow, sounds like a tough guy. . ." the voice said.

"Y-Yeah. . ." I agreed, crying. "I-I m-miss him s-so much. . ."

"Oh don't cry, Elesis," the voice said. "I don't like it when girls cry. . ."

"I-I'm sorry, b-but I can't help it. . ." I managed to say. "I love Ronan s-so much. . . W-With him gone, it. . . it's like there's a h-hole in my heart. . ."

"I'd hug you if I could, but I'm just a damaged soul."

"T-Thanks anyway. . ." I sniffed. "B-But I'd r-rather it be Ronan. . . No o-offense. . ."

"None taken." Then the voice cried out again, and through my tears, I could see the flames shoot up again, the weapon very visible. "I feel so dizzy. . ."

Without thinking about it, I grabbed the hilt of the weapon again, ignoring the pain, and tugged at it slightly. It moved a bit.

"H-How's that feel?" I asked.

"Slightly. . . better, but it still hurts. . ."

"I-I have a question. . . If I p-pull this out, will you disappear?" I asked.

"I. . . I don't know," it admitted. "Frankly, I, ah, don't care. . . Anything is better than suffering. . . even death itself."

"Technically. . ." I said in small voice. "You're already dead."

"You know what I mean." I did. Then it cried out again. "Please, remove it. . ."

"P-Please don't leave me. . ." I whispered, and began to try to yank it out again. I could see the skin on my hand start to "melt" but I was beyond caring. The sword moved enough so the end of the hilt poked out of the fire.

As I pulled harder, the voice groaned in pain again.

"A-Are you oka-" I began to ask, before yelping in pain, and falling backwards. The sword came out.

"It. . . feels so much better now. . ." I heard a whispery breeze, as if the voice was sighing in relief.

"Are you better now?" I asked.

"Yes. . . I feel so content. . ." the voice answered. "And tired. . . I think I'm going to."

I looked up with a jolt. "H-Hey. . . Are you there?" I asked worriedly.

No response.

"H-Hey!" I began to panic a bit. No. . . Did it really. . .

Then I noticed that the flame geyser was dormant. The crevice was still there, but smaller.

"I've got you now!" a voice behind me cried. "Give me that sword!"

Turning around, I asked, "Who's there?!" It was the gray Lich.

"Ha!" he cried triumphantly. "Give it to me!" He rushed towards me.

"No, never!" I cried, and took out the sword I brought with me and lunged forward to attack, but my foot slipped into the crevice, and I stumbled.

The gray Lich was above me now.

"N-No. . ." I groaned, and hold my sword up in defense.

"Not so fast!" I saw the black Lich. Reaching his staff out towards me, he said, "Both of you will be safe here!"

Then the Hell I was in turned white.


	75. Chapter 74: Remembrance

There was a blinding white, a dull pain, and. . . something soft, in my hand. The other held. . . something else. A sword?

What was I? Where was I?

I groaned a bit, surprised I had a voice. The softness in my hand, there was. . . someone's hand.

"W-Who's there?" The voice pierced through the white.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"That's what I'd like to know. . ." There was a familiar ring to that voice. Elsa. . . Elese. . . Elesis. . .?

"Elesis. . .?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly. "Am I alive?" My voice came faster than my thoughts, but I remembered something, something dim.

"R-Ronan?!" The girl's warm, red eyes turned towards me, but everything was so foggy. . . "I-Is that. . . really you?" she asked me.

"Yeah. . . it's me. . ." I said, remembering my name. Ronan. . . "Your hand. . . It's so warm," I told her.

"And. . . yours is so cold. . ." she said. Her eyes met mine as she whispered, "I've missed you so much. . ."

"Was I gone for too long?" I asked her, and used my other hand to brush her hair back. It was as if the thing I held in my hand wasn't there.

"Yes. . ." she answered, before she leaned forward to kiss me.

I closed my eyes, remembering this feeling of bliss, and felt her warmth envelop me. "Elesis. . . I love you. . ." This rush of emotion. . . So overwhelming.

"I do too. . . so much. . . Ronan, please, come back. . ." Come back?

"I. . . I don't know. . ." I said hesitantly.

"But. . . why?" she asked. I could hear the hurt in her voice. "Everyone misses you. . ."

I didn't answer her. I gripped her hand, tightly, as I felt a soft, fuzzy feeling inside of me. Looking down at our hands, I realized I could see through it, yet I didn't feel alarmed.

"N-No, Ronan, please don't go!" Elesis cried out. She reached out with her other hand, dropping what she held in it; a sword.

"I'm just a soul right now. . ." I told her, struggling to stay with her.

"B-But you can come back. . . Please, Ronan. . ." she begged me. "I just miss you so badly. . . I don't think I can take this any longer. . ."

"Elesis. . . you know you're very strong. . ." I said.

"But Ronan. . . I'm no match for the pain that's been inflicted to my heart. . ." she whispered.

"My. . ." I paused. "My soul has been weakened, Elesis. . . I don't know if I can. . . go back with you or not. . . I've grown so weak that my sword rejects me." Was I lying? I was holding a sword in my hand right now.

But. . . you can grow strong again," she argued. The weak can be strong again. . . If they try. . ."

I didn't answer her. Instead, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to me, letting her body warm my. . . my soul.

She rested her head on my shoulder and whispered, "Please. . ." She wanted me to come back. Badly.

"I. . . I'll. . ." I rested my head against hers. "I'll try. . ."

"Thank you, Ronan. . . I'll be here. . ." she paused. "If you. . . need me."

I felt like I would fade out again.

"I'm. . . kinda tired," I told her.

"Please, be strong. . ."

"I. . . I can restore his body if you want." Who was that?

"Yes, please. . ." Elesis said. Who was that she was talking to? A necromancer?

"Can you. . ." I started, thinking carefully. "Fix Elesis?"

"W-What's wrong with me?" she asked, a bit surprised.

"Elesis. . ." I took in a shaky breath, even though I was. . . just a spirit. "Do you still want to be a mother?"

She hesitated before answering. "I. . . I. . ." She held onto me tightly before answering. "If you'll be the father. . ."

"N-Necromancer. . ." I called out. "Can you restore what the Kaze'aze has destroyed?"

"Um. . . I can try," he answered.

"I c-couldn't really ask for that," Elesis said. "I mean. . . bringing Ronan back is enough. . ."

"Well, it's kinda easier than restoring his body. . ." the necromancer admitted.

"Necromancer, please. . ." I begged, ignoring Elesis' protest. It seemed selfish, but I wanted something for her, too.

"Don't. . ." Before I could protest, Elesis added, "Not until you restore Ronan. . . Please. . ."

"I have an idea," the necromancer said. "Out of the goodness of my heart, I'll do both. How d'you like them apples? Gosh, I'm gonna lose my job."

"T-Thank you, Lich. . ." Elesis said, looking up a bit. Wait, a Lich? What was Elesis thinking?

"Yeah, yeah, don't let it sink into your skull. . ." the Lich grumbled.

Before I could say anything, it all started to turn white, and I felt. . . light.

"Bye-bye, mortals. . ." the Lich whispered to us.

"Bye. . ." Elesis whispered.

"Thank. . . you. . ." I managed to say, before the white turned black.


	76. Chapter 75: Returned

_"Please, don't be dead!"_

_"Will she be okay?"_

_"I can't take it anymore! Waah!"_

_"Yeah, she'll be fine. . . Just some minor burns, couple scratches, but she'll be fine."_

_"Oh, be quiet!"_

_"Stop crying, loser. . ."_

_"Don't talk to him like that!"_

_"Just tell him to shut up!"_

_"I'll do it."_

_"Ow! Sieghart!"_

"God. . . Shut up. . . Ow. . ."

_"Hey, did she just move?"_

_". . . She's alive!"_

_"Dunno. Wakey wakey!"_

--

"Ow, what the hell?!" she cried, and sat up almost immediately after Lass slapped her. "Whoever hits me is going to get their asses kicked."

"Oh relax," I told Elesis. "You've been sleeping all day." She looked shocked to see me.

"A-Arme?! W-Wait, where am I?" she asked, confused.

"She's alive!" Ryan cried, and hugged the crap out of Elesis.

"Ryan, be careful!" I scolded.

"Glad to see you too, Ryan, but. . ." Elesis choked out. "That hurts!"

"You're gonna kill her," I said, and whacked Ryan. "Let go!"

Ryan let go, but began to cry on Elesis' shoulder.

"Um, there, there. . ." she said, patting Ryan on the shoulder, then looked up in surprise. "Wait, Ronan?! Where are you?!" Did she forget already. . .?

"Jin said he'd look after his body," Lass said.

"R-Ronan. . . No, it didn't work. . ." Elesis began to cry.

"Are you all right?" Sieghart asked his daughter.

"N-No, I'm _not_ all right!" Elesis cried. "I w-went to Hell all for nothing!" Then she did go there?!

"Elesis!" Ryan cried.

"H-He lied to me!" she continued, burying her face in Ryan's shoulder. Who was "_He_"? I sighed, a bit sad.

Then I heard someone running up to us, and turned to look to see Jin, shocked.

"What's wrong, Jin?" Sieghart asked, trying not to show a shred of emotion.

"It's Ronan's body!" Jin cried. "Something's happening!" He tried to say more, but ended up just running back to where Ronan's body lay.

"Is Ronan okay?!" Ryan yelped, and chased after Jin. In fact, we all did. What we saw shocked us.

Jin was standing over Ronan's body. It was reforming itself. What was this?!

Ryan rushed towards Ronan's body, but Jin kept Ryan away. Before Ryan could escape Jin's grasp, he flung Ryan into a tree.

"What the hell?!" Sieghart muttered.

As soon as his body was whole again, Ronan opened his eyes suddenly, and looked around. He tried to sit up. Elesis came over to help him up, before hugging him tightly, calling his name softly.

"I'm. . . I'm alive. . .?" Ronan looked around a bit, as if shocked, then embraced Elesis. "I'm alive!"

"I-I can't believe it!" Elesis began to cry once more.

"Neither can I. . ." I said. "But how?" Did this have to do with whatever Elesis did when she went down to Hell?

Ryan jumped over from the tree and gave both Ronan and Elesis a hug, while still crying.

"Stop c-crying, you weenie!" Lass shouted.

"Ryan, get off!" Elesis yelled.

I noticed Lire had nearly fainted.

"I thought you were gone for good!" Ryan sobbed.

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just hugged Ronan and Elesis. How was this possible?

"I'm so happy. . ." Ronan whispered.

"I can't believe you're back, Ronan," Elesis said softly.

"I. . . Me neither. . ."

"Maybe Ronan wants his glaive back, Elesis?" Sieghart said.

Looking up, Elesis nodded, then ran off. Ronan hugged Ryan again when the elf began crying again.

"Oh, you big crybaby. . ." I muttered, then began to shake Lire, who had fainted. Lass poked her face.

"Lass!" I cried, and he stopped.

"So Ronan. . ." Sieghart said after he let out a small cough. "I guess you met Lich. . ."

"Um. . . yeah," Ronan admitted.

"Elesis asked for you body back?" Sieghart asked, but before Ronan could answer, Elesis came running back with the glaive, and handed it to Ronan.

"My. . . My glaive. . ." Ronan said as he looked over at Elesis.

"I left it here, so it wouldn't get damaged," she said.

"Elesis. . . Thank you for taking care of it. . ." Ronan took the glaive before he pulled Elesis to him and hugged her.

"I've missed you so much, Ronan," Elesis said, and kissed him.

"I missed you too," Ronan said, and kissed her back.

"Let's not start that again," I grumbled.

Ronan closed his eyes and said, "I'm tired. . ." He leaned to one side.

"Why don't you rest, Ronan?" Elesis suggested.

"I. . . just. . ." Ronan tried to sit down, but he collapsed. Surprised, Elesis caught him, but nearly fell over. "A-Are you okay?"

"Ronan, are you hurt?" I asked him. "Or. . . are you simply tired?"

A slight snore from Ronan told me he was asleep.

Setting him down, Elesis said, "I guess I'll sleep too." She laid down next to him and was soon asleep herself.

"I'm going for a walk," Sieghart announced, and walked off. Jin walked off in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going, Jin?" I asked.

"For a walk," he answered.

"Don't get into danger," I told him. I got no response, and sighed.

Ryan sat down, covering his face.

"Are you okay Ryan?" I asked.

"I-I-I'm f-fine," he said, voice quivering. It seemed like he was trying to cry himself to sleep.

Lass jumped into a tree, turning away from us a bit. I sat down and buried my face in my arms, crying just a bit. I guess even I couldn't help it.

I heard a sigh from above my head and Lass ask, "Arme, do you want to sleep with me?" Quickly wiping away my tears, I looked up to see Lass extending a hand towards me.

Grabbing it, I answered, "Okay. . ."

He pulled me up to the tree, then carried me to one of the higher branches. As he set me on his lap and wrapped his arms around my torso, I leaned against his chest and closed my eyes, letting out a small sigh of contentment. Lass was. . . so warm.

The last thing I heard before dozing off was Lass humming.

Maybe it was due to sleeping in a tree, but I woke up, feeling tired.

I noticed Lass was already awake. He looked a bit exhausted.

"You okay?" I asked, then yawned a bit.

"I'm just a little tired," he answered.

"Same here. . ."

"That. . . yesterday was kind of. . ." Lass didn't finish. Instead, he looked down to where Elesis and Ronan were. Both were missing.

"Great. . ." I muttered, knowing what was happening

"Huh. . ." Lass said.

I sighed. "Ronan's gone. And Elesis."

"Sheesh," Lass grumbled. "I guess they couldn't wait."

Looking down, I noticed Ryan and Lire were sleeping together, Jin was sleeping at the foot of a nearby tree, and Sieghart was sleeping in that tree, half his body dangling off a branch.

"He's gonna fall like that," I said.

"Aw, don't worry. His head's as hard as a diamond. . ." Lass muttered.

"Good point. . ." I said. "Wanna test it?"

"Hm." Lass set me down next to him on the large branch, then jumped over to the tree Sieghart was in, silently.

"Don't wake him!" I whispered loudly.

He just shrugged and slowly pushed Sieghart off the branch. Worried, I motioned for Lass to come back over.

There was a loud thud as Sieghart hit the ground, right on his head. I tried not to laugh.

Lass was laughing as he hastily came back over to me. Picking me up, he held me tightly and sat down, pretending to be asleep.

Looking down at Sieghart, snickering, I saw him fall over onto his side.

"Huh, what. . ." Sieghart muttered as his eyes flickered open for a second, before falling back asleep.

"Well. . ." I said. He didn't seem fazed that much.

"Jeez. . ." Lass muttered.

I broke off a small twig from the tree and threw it at Sieghart. However, it didn't do anything as he began snoring loudly. Ugh, the noise!

I threw a pebble that was stuck in the tree. There was a. . . loud noise.

"Oh, gross!" I exclaimed.

"God, just stop," Lass muttered. I wasn't sure if he meant me or not, but I didn't throw any more objects.

Suddenly, Lass picked me up and carried me like a package slung over his shoulder, and jumped down from the tree. Of course I yelped.

"Put me down, Lass!" I yelled indignantly. I was pretty sure he was getting a good view up my skirt.

"Sh, you'll wake the others up!" he whispered, and walked away from the others, with me.

"Lass!" I cried.

Patting my thigh, Lass said, "Hey, not like something bad's gonna happen." That made me slightly alarmed.

"Put me down!"

"Aw, c'mon, why?"

"Where are you taking me?!" I demanded.

"Nowhere!" he answered. "Promise I won't get lost!"

"If you're not taking us anywhere, then put me down!" I didn't want us to get lost.

"Fine, if you don't wanna come, I'll just leave you behind," Lass said, and dropped me.

"Lass!" What's with him?

Kneeling next to me, Lass kissed me, surprising me a bit. I closed my eyes as he kissed me longer. Then he started to depart.

"All right, I won't be gone for long," he told me.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

Lass smiled. "Secret." He turned and waved to me. "Don't miss me!"

I waved back and said softly, "I will. . ."

"What's going on?" Turning, I saw Jin coming out from the bushes.

"Nothing," I answered, and headed back to the tree Lass and I had slept in, and sat on the trunk.

"Um, okay," Jin said, then began trying to drag Sieghart over to the tree.

"What are you doing?" I asked. No reply.

Jin dropped Sieghart in front of the tree.

I sighed sadly. "I hope Lass comes back soon," I told Jin.

He looked at me, a bit confused.

"Lass went off somewhere," I explained. "Maybe I should've just let him take me with. . ."

"Great. . ." Jin said, then sighed. "Don't worry, you know he'll be fine."

"I-I know," I said, "but I want him to come back. . . soon."

Jin just shrugged before he began to walk off.

"Where are you going, Jin?" I asked.

"Training."

"Be careful. . ."

Jin was soon gone, leaving me alone with the sleeping elves.

Then I heard Ryan say something. At first, I thought he was awake, but when I turned to him, I noticed he was still asleep.

"Ronaaaan," Ryan murmured. I crawled over to hear better. "Hmmm. . . Nice wedding cake. . ."

"Oh, a wedding. . ." I felt a slight pang of longing. "I wonder if Lass and I will get married. . .?"

"Can I have some cake first. . .?" Ryan snored a bit. "Sorry, I ate your piece. . ."

"Why did Elesis. . . marry. . . him. . ." Sieghart groaned. Was it a coincidence Ryan and Sieghart were having similar dreams?

"Cake. . . fight. . ." Ryan smiled a bit.

"Don't start one at a wedding!" I said.

Hearing more groaning, I turned to Sieghart, who was sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

"So, awake now, Sieghart?"

"I got cake in my eyes," he grumbled, then began pulling on Ryan's ears.

"Hey, ow!" he cried, and rolled away from Sieghart.

"Where are the others?" I asked Ryan.

"Elesis is probably with Ronan," he answered sleepily.

"Where's Lassy?" Sieghart asked.

"I don't know. . ." I answered.

"I guess I better get ready to break his legs off," Sieghart said.

"Don't!" I cried.

"Well, if he doesn't get in trouble, I won't have to," Sieghart said.

Suddenly, Ryan said, "Hey, where's all my gold?"

"Oh, no. . ." I whispered. Don't tell me. . .

Sieghart cracked his knuckles, then checked something. "I still have mine."

I checked for mine, and I counted none missing.

"Hey, just me?! Not fair!" Ryan cried.

"Maybe something stole it?" I asked.

"Like what, a monster?"

"Yeah," I answered hopefully.

"I doubt monsters are interested in currency!"

"Then why do so many monsters we've come across have currency on them?"

"Maybe because they ate it!"

"Well, some seem to have a taste for gold. . ." I said.

"Especially when. . . Never mind," Ryan said instead.

"Well, maybe we should find the others before something else finds them," I said, thinking about monsters.

"I'm not goin'," Sieghart said.

"Fine, I will," I said, and added, "It'd be better if you didn't find Ronan and Elesis anyway."

As I went on my way, I heard Ryan cry, "Wait for me!" I didn't.

"'Ello?" I called, poking my head out of the foliage.

"Hello?" I was answered. I saw that it was Elesis who had answered me, and she was lying on her back. It seemed I had interrupted Elesis and Ronan in the middle of something.

"Thank goodness I found you two. . ." I grumbled. "What were you two doing?"

"We were just talking," Elesis answered.

"Uh-huh, sure you were," I said, not believing it.

"Honestly!" Elesis cried. "Ronan?"

Ronan looked up. "Hm? Of course we were talking."

"Well. . . have you seen Lass anywhere?" I asked.

"Not really," Ronan answered.

"Not that I can remember," Elesis said, as she sat down on Ronan's lap.

"Where'd he run off to now?" Ronan asked as he wrapped his arms around Elesis.

"I. . . don't know," I said. "I should've followed him. . ."

"Cheer up, you know he's gonna come back," Ronan said.

"I wish he'd come back _soon_," I said.

"You should just wait. . ."

"I caaaaan't."

"Well tryyyy," Elesis said. I sighed.

"C'mon, just do it," Ronan urged.

"Fine," I grumbled, and went back, feeling more down.


	77. Chapter 76: Third Proposal!

I saw that mage plop down under a tree, looking mighty depressed. I wondered what was wrong?

I whistled.

"Huh?" She looked up at me.

"I didn't say anything," I said. She looked down at the ground.

"Gawd, cheer up," I grumbled.

"Hmph."

"It's bad enough that you're in love with someone like Lassy," I scolded, "but don't get sad over the fact that you can't bear being away from him."

"I can't help it, okay?" She said. "I'll love whoever I want without you making any damned remarks! And it's too soon since I last lost him! I'm afraid it'll happen again!"

Geez.

"Fine, I'll go look for him," I said, snickering.

"I'd rather you not, knowing what you'd do!" she yelled.

"Then quit complaining!"

"It's none of your business anyway!" she yelled.

"It sure as hell is," I told her. "Why don't you read a book on necromancy or something."

"Since when was it your business?!" she demanded. "And I would if I had one!"

"Since I joined Grand Chase!" I told her.

"Hmph." I repeated that.

Suddenly, Jin came out from the bushes. He had bandages over his hands. His hands looked somewhat beat up.

"Jin? What happened to you?" Arme asked.

"I swear, stop beating up trees!" I said.

"Training," Jin answered, ignoring me.

"Looks painful. . ."

"You adjust to the pain and get used to it," he said, then added, "When you fight with your fists, that is."

"I guess. . ."

Jin frowned, then sat where he was standing.

"I could never imagine having to use my fists to fight," Arme said to herself.

"Maybe you don't like getting your hands dirty," I said. "You have to be tough to have blood on your hands, anyways."

"Perhaps, but I've had blood on me before." True.

She jumped slightly though, when the bushes rustled slightly. So much for that.

Jin looked over while Ryan cried, "Who's there?" and threw a seed.

"Hey, cut it out, would you, dog breath?!" someone cried, and the seed was thrown back.

It nearly hit Arme, who cried out.

Then Lassy came out of the bushes. Saved me the trouble of having to search for him.

"Lass!" Arme ran over and hugged him, and asked, "Where did you go?!"

"I. . . uh. . ." He pulled a piece of charred wood out of his hair. "Um, nowhere." He returned the hug, but I was feeling suspicious.

"Must've been a hot place," Arme said, flicking another piece of charred debris off.

"Uh, not necessarily, but. . . Kind of. . ." He began to look nervous. "Look, um. . . Arme."

"What is it, Lass?"

The thiefy boy began to turn a bit red as he dropped down to one knee. Whoop-de-doo.

"I know this might be a bad time to ask this, but. . . Arme, I love you."

"L-L-Lass?" C'mon, you're smarter than that, aren't ya, Arme?

Lassy pulled out a ring, took Arme's left hand, and kissed it. "A-Arme, will you marry me?"

"Did you buy that with my money?!" Ryan cried out suddenly.

"Y-Y-Yes. . ." Arme said to Lass. Then she practically knocked Lass over with a hug. You could tell she was waiting for this. "Of course I'll marry you!"

Then I sneezed. I saw Lassy fall over onto his back, then grin and kiss her. "Great. . .!" He looked terribly happy. According to my calculations, we now have three marriages. I wonder if Jin and Amy would ever get hitched?

"Finally. . ." Ryan grumbled. "Can I have my money back?" No one but me heard him.

"How sweet!" I saw my daughter crawl out of the bushes. Heh. Her husband-to-be walked out after her. Hmph.

"Congrats!" I saw the female elf hanging upside-down from a tree. One could see her panties like that.

"Lire, your skirt!" the male elf cried. "Come dooooown!"

"Oopsies!" She fell to the ground, landing gracefully on her hands, then fell forward to her feet and stood up. "Wow, three weddings, can you believe it, Ryan?" She went over and hugged her soon-to-be husband.

Gah, too many weddings.

"Yeah. . ." He hugged her and then kissed her while Lassy took the Arme's hand and put the ring on. She looked at the ring, looking quite happy. Yeesh.

"Well, we can't go back and get married until we complete our mission. . ." the Royal Guard Master said.

"Aw, yeah. . ." my daughter said.

"Don't worry, it won't be too long," I told her.

"I hope! I want to get married, soon!" She looked so happy. . .

I murmured to myself about a grandkid. Probably will end up with one.

"Grandkid?" Oops, she heard me. "Of course we'll have one!" I shrugged, trying not to pay attention to what that meant.

My daughter looked over at her fiancé, almost mischievously. . . He turned a bit red.

"As soon as we're married. . ." She giggled a bit innocently. Well, she sounded cute. At least.

Jin sighed, then closed his eyes. I stared at him as Lire asked, "Is something wrong, Jin?"

"I'm fine," he answered.

"Are you s-" she began before I interrupted. "When do we get going?"

"Well. . . Do we have any idea _where_ we're going?" Arme asked.

"I don't care," I grumbled. "Anywhere but here." I felt antsy.

"Any ideas?" She looked at the others.

"I dunno," Lire answered.

"Where Kaze'aze is," my daughter said. "I wanna kick her ass to hell!"

"We all do," Arme said. "But first of all, where is she now?"

"Who knows," Lassy answered.

"Well, we could always ask Kaze'doggeh," Ryan said. Hell no.

"Hell no!" Arme cried at the same time I thought that.

"But he's a nice doggie!" Lassy cried out.

"And he'll be yours when you marry Lass!" Ryan pointed out.

"I don't want a stupid mutt. . . " Arme grumbled. "Just Lass. . ."

"Aw, grow up, shut up, and think of where the hell Kaze'aze might be," I said.

"I don't like dogs!" Arme yelled.

"Shut up already and think!" I yelled back.

"I-I can always try sniffing her out?" Ryan offered. "Maybe she smells like Jin?"

"Excuse me?" Jin looked up.

"Ryan, that's not nice!" Lire scolded.

"Well, since you're her favorite," Ryan said, "maybe her scent rubbed off on you!"

"Not if Kaze'aze never used her physical body. I doubt souls have scents," Lire pointed out. Smart.

"What about tracks?" Ryan suggested. Give it up already. You're too dumb.

"What kind of tracks?"

"Uh. . . Well. . . Maybe souls leave tracks?"

"And how are we supposed to detect those?"

"Well, since Kaze'aze is evil, maybe Arme can use her staff?" Oh look, an iota of a brain.

"I'm not sure if my staff's in-tune yet," Arme said. How did it get _out_ of tune?

"Try! Whack Jin!" Ryan said.

"What?! No!" Jin cried out, but Arme tapped Jin gently on the head anyway. He looked like he wanted to throw a fit.

"Nothing," Arme said. "Or my staff's broken." Ain't that a first.

"How do we fix it?" Ronan asked.

"Takes a while of using it," Arme answered.

"Hm. Burn down the forest!" Lassy yelled. Good idea.

"No!" Ryan cried.

"Er, no," Arme said.

"Aw."

"A bit. . . cruel." Since when was Arme not cruel?

Ryan stuck his tongue out at Lassy.

"Besides, I have to kill monsters, not. . . trees," she added. "What else could we try?"

"Killing Sieghart!" Lassy blurted out. I glared at him.

". . . Lass!"

"Stupid, I can't die," I grumbled. "Do you _want_ to get your legs broken?"

"Sorry," Lassy grumbled, though he didn't look it.

"I suppose we're screwed then?" Arme said.

"Sure," I said, then rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

"Stop being so lazy!" I got kicked by the stupid Ryan.

"I swear I'll break your foot," I growled.

"Boys. . ." I heard someone say. Arme.

"Well, what now?" Ryan asked.

I fell asleep then. My daughter told me that she tried to plug my nose up. After that failed, she covered my mouth up with a cloth, too. Then she and Lassy began to drag me along, before Arme stuck a twig in my nose and I whacked her.

I woke up then, a stick in my nose. I pulled it out as Lire said, "Hey, it's getting dark!"

"Well, that's not good," Arme grumbled.

"Is it going to rain?" Ronan asked.

"Probably. I don't want to be out here."

"Great," Lassy grumbled as a drop of rain landed on his head.

Arme took a sniff, then asked, "What smells like smoke?" I took a sniff and smelled bark and smoke. The forest was on fire.

"Not me," Ryan said.

"Uh, Lass?" Arme looked at him. Was that a small tendril of smoke?

"What?"

"Don't you, uh, feel that?"

"Feel wh-" Lassy began yelling.

"Run!" Arme cried. Maybe it was just some bug who could set things on fire.

I looked up before a drop hit my nose. Immediately, I felt it burning.

"Ah, crap!" I yelled and got up quickly.

My daughter looked up, and one hit her cheek, causing her to cry out. "What's with the rain?!" she cried as she ran.

"Who cares!" Arme ran under a large boulder that had a hole in it. Like. . . a cave?

Ronan picked up my daughter and slid under the boulder. Lassy was screaming about his hair before tripping and landing underneath, hitting his face. I dragged Ryan in while Lire slipped in, yelping.

"What the hell was that?" Lassy asked.

"I dunno, but it hurt!" Arme was rubbing her arms and legs. Lassy held her close.

"I don't like this. . ." She looked out to see the foliage withering. I wondered if this rock was next?


	78. Chapter 77: Sour

"Evil!" Ryan shouted, then asked, "Uh, where's Jin?"

"Wonder what happened to Jin. . .?" Ronan wondered.

"Poor Jin!" I cried.

"I can't believe it. . . Jin didn't make it. . ." Lire said softly.

"Oh, crap. . ." Before anyone could stop her, Elesis stuck her head out from underneath the rock, and seemed ready to leap out. She only managed to stick her head out before she began screaming in pain. Ronan pulled her back in quickly.

Immediately, Arme went over to Elesis and asked, "A-Are you okay?"

"No. . ." she answered, groaning in pain.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"She got burnt. . ." Arme told me.

Holding Elesis closely, Ronan told her, "Jin will be alright, hear. . .?" She only whimpered slightly in response.

"It's raining acid?" Sieghart asked.

"Yes. . ." Arme answered, before taking out a small vial of some blue cream. "C'mere." She took Elesis from Ronan somehow, and took her to the back of our rock shelter.

"Is she going to be all right?" Ronan asked.

"Think so," Arme answered, and began to start applying the cream. Elesis yelped in pain.

"Hold still!" Arme said.

"It hurts. . ." Elesis groaned.

"C'mon, it'll hurt more if you don't get it treated," Ryan told her, but she only tried to shove Arme away.

"Oh, c'mon!" Arme growled. "Someone hold her down!"

I was about to, but Ronan came over and forced Elesis to lie still as Arme finished applying the cream. Elesis was crying out.

"Just shut up!" Arme snapped, then put the stuff away. "Try to keep her calm, or something." I could see she was seething, and decided not to get near. I mean, with Arme's temperament. . .

Ryan rubbed his head a bit. "I wonder where Jin is. . ."

"In a better place?" I said, and sniffed. It still smelt of burnt material.

"I hope he's safe. . ." Lire said. "I can't believe we lost him!"

"Don't worry, he's not that dumb," Sieghart said.

"You're implying that he _is_ dumb!" I accused.

"I mean, I know that the rain is acidic, and maybe even real poison. But I doubt Jin's stupid enough to sit there and burn up in it."

"You're still saying he's stupid!"

"Just shut the fuck up, all of you!" Arme yelled suddenly.

Surprised, I asked, "A-Arme, are you okay?"

"No, I'm _not_! We're just sitting here, where something could just come and attack us at any time, and we can hardly maneuver down here, and Jin's out there, probably dying!" I couldn't think of anything to say. Usually, Arme could keep her cool in situations like this.

Sieghart pushed Ryan over suddenly.

"Hey!" Ryan cried.

"You're in my way," Sieghart told him. "I'll need this." Then he took my cloak.

"What're you doing?!" I cried. "Give that back!"

"Stop it now, Sieghart," Arme growled, "before I shove you into the rain!"

"Arme, if you did that, I'd take that as a kind gesture." Sieghart threw my cloak back at me, then took Ryan's.

"What're you doing?!" Ryan tried to snatch his cloak back.

"So you want to feel some agonizing, burning pain?" Arme asked.

"Too late!" Sieghart covered his head with Ryan's cloak and then jumped out into the rain and ran off. Idiot!

"Get back here, Sieghart!" Ronan shouted.

"He's crazy. . ." Lire grumbled.

"Good riddance," Arme said.

"I wonder how old he was when he became immortal?" I asked. I bet he was a dopey teen then.

"It doesn't seem like he was terribly old when he was," Lire answered. "Hopefully he gets back, safely."

"And he took my cape!" Ryan complained. It was just a cape! . . .

"Did he really need to take it?" Lire asked. "It seems the rain'd dissolve the cloak in seconds."

"Maybe he's not so smart after all?" Ryan suggested.

"When is this rain going to stop?" I asked.

"Soon, I hope," Lire answered.

"I'd imagine that Sieghart has the I.Q. of a rock," Arme stated. What was up with Arme?

I noticed Ronan looked slightly annoyed, and Elesis seemed to whimper a bit in agreement to whatever Ronan thought. He lifted Elesis up gently, and held her close, eyes filled with annoyance.

"Hey, what's wrong Ronan?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Ronan grumbled, and whispered something to himself.

"We should do a rain dance," Ryan said.

"I don't think that'd work," Lire said.

"Maybe it would," I said.

"We should try."

"Ye-" I began, but as I tried standing up, I hit my head and fell back. "Ow!"

"So, how do you plan to do a rain dance?" Lire asked. "I mean, it's technically raining already." Good point.

"We should get a sacrifice," Ryan suggested instead.

"Ryan!"

"Whaaat?"

"Don't be so barbaric!"

"Barbaric or not, we should try," I agreed.

"No!" Lire cried.

"Go, doggie!" I tried to shove Ryan out. "Fetch?!"

"What the hell!" Ryan yelped. "_Not me_!"

"Lass!" Lire shoved me, a little to hard. I fell into the rain, and began feeling the searing pain. The pained lessened as I got pulled back in, but damn, it hurt!

I could hear Arme muttering something.

"Arme, do something!" Lire cried.

"Do it yourself," she told Lire.

"A-Arme!"

"Yes?"

"Don't you care about Lass?"

"Oh, I care for him. I care for him a lot. More than you think." The way Arme said that scared me more than this pain hurt.

"What's your problem?!" Ryan demanded.

"A bunch of trapped rats, aren't you?" Arme let out a small chuckle. Oh man, I was scared.

"You're s-scaring me, Arme," Lire said.

"Oh, am I?" she said.

"You're not Arme!" Ryan cried out.

"Dammit, not again. . ." Ronan said.

"Of course I'm Arme. Who else could do _this_?" I looked up and saw Arme shoot out a ball of ice at Ryan. He let out a cry that was cut off as he froze.

"Stop!" Ronan cried and lunged at Arme. However, she teleported behind him and took his spell sword.

"Dammit!" I could see a glowing light in Ronan's hand as he gathered some energy.

"Uh-uh," Arme said teasingly, and rested the tip of Ronan's sword above Elesis' heart.

"You bastard," Ronan growled. "What do you want this time?!"

"I want your deaths," Arme said, smiling. "All of you, this time. I seem to have failed with you, Royal Guard Master, but I'll slowly kill you this time, even worse than last."

I noticed Lire inch towards her bow, but so did Arme. The sword slipped down a bit. "Oops," Arme said mockingly.

Ronan stepped forward, trying to reach the sword, but Arme rested the tip on Elesis' chest. "Don't move, or I'll kill her."

Ronan's eyes widened as he stopped.

"You too, elf," she added. Lire stopped.

Ryan began fingering the staff of his storm pike, probably judging whether or not he could stop Arme. Too bad I was lying on top of my nodachi. It kinda dug into my side. Ow.

"I hold the life of one of your comrades in my hand, now," Arme stated.

"What do you want us to do then?" Ronan asked.

"Step out. Now."

I looked out, and noticed the rain had stopped. Phew.

Ryan was the first to go out, slowly, murmuring. Lire followed. Ronan didn't move.

"You too, Royal Guard Master."

"Ronan. . ." I said, sounding miserable. The burns on my face weren't so harsh now.

"Take him with you." I saw Arme motioning at me.

Ronan came over to me. "C'mon, get up." I stood up, feeling feeble.

"Good boy," Arme mocked.

I held one hand to my face, the other held by Ronan as he led me out.

Arme followed us, Elesis in tow, with the sword to her neck. It seemed Elesis was unconscious.

Ronan growled as he helped me stand.

"Now, where did that mongrel and his pet go?" Arme asked. Sieghart and Jin?

"None of your business, Kaze'Cunt," I growled.

"Shut up!" Ryan whispered to me.

"Go find them. Now." Arme glanced over at the sword in her hand.

"Uh, which one of us?" Ryan asked.

"How about you, mutt?" Arme said. "And _you_ can find the mongrel's pet." Arme pointed at Lire.

"B-But. . ." Lire began.

"Hm?" Arme drew a very thin line of blood from Elesis' neck. I gulped.

"F-Fine, I'll go. . ." Lire obviously didn't want to cause a death.

"Bastard, stop!" Ronan cried.

"Ronan, don't worry, I'm going. . ." Ryan said.

"Good dog," Arme said, smiling. "I'd have thought the Royal Guard Master would be a bit more. . . calm, in situations such as this. Guess not."

I tried to make a face, but the burns hurt. "A-Agh, my face. . ." I slumped down to the ground in pain.

"It's just some burnt skin, deal with it. After all, you have the scars of your own teammates' weapons cuts on you from a certain fight long ago. It shouldn't hurt that badly, _Lassy_." I wanted to scream, but I stayed silent. I wanted to rip Kaze'aze's soul to shreds.

"Get going already, elves, or do you not care for your friend?" Arme glanced at Ryan and Lire.

Lire said nothing as she went. Ryan spat at Arme as he turned into a wolf, looking as if he were going to leap, but turned away.

"Don't scare me, mutt." Arme looked at me and Ronan. "Now, what shall I have you two do?" Two two of us were silent.

"I wonder what this pathetic mage can do now?" Arme wondered aloud. "It's been a while since I've seen her magic. Of course, it can't be much if she couldn't resist me." She smirked.

"I swear I'll kill you. . ." I muttered.

"Like hell you will, Lassy." She smiled.

"Oh, Lassy. . ." she said, sounding as if in a dream. Then tauntingly, "Go home."

I glared at her.

"Oh, are you mad? Why _don't_ you go home already? I have no more use for you."

"I still have a mission. . ." I said. "_We_ still have a mission. . . And that's to kick your ass to hell. . ."

"Oh, I don't need any help getting there," Arme said. "I've already been there about three times already. However, I can send you to a special place in Hell. "I'll have to make contact with Gardosen first though."

"I'd like to see you try," I growled.

"Grand Chase will fail their mission, I guarantee that much," Arme told us. "You shall never defeat me, for you are all pathetic. You're weak, you cannot defeat someone such as I. You don't even know the true extent of my power. You'll underestimate me, and I will laugh at your defeat. I will dance on your graves. In fact, I would start with one." She looked at the spell sword in her hand. "Hm, yes, I could."

"You better not!" Ronan cried angrily.

"Oh, I could," Arme teased.

"But you won't! I won't let you!"

"Oh? I dare you to try and stop me."

Before Ronan could try, I grabbed his ankle. "Don't. . . Ronan, you know it'll turn out bad. . ."

"That's right, listen to the half-wit. At least we know he has some brain." She laughed, and I growled at her.

"How badly do you want her body back anyway, hm?" she asked. I just stared angrily at her.

"Both of you, how much do you want _this_ body back?" Arme motioned to herself. "And do you want this girl's body back, too?" She kicked Elesis.

"Of course we do, that's why we're here!" I said.

"Then. . . I suppose I'll give you _one_ body back, eh?" Arme grinned a bit, evilly.

"_Alive_!" Ronan cried.

"Oh, she'll be alive, don't worry." Oh, I'll worry all right.

"So? What are you waiting for?" Ronan asked.

"You want 'er?" Arme asked.

"Just release one!" I cried. Selfishly, I though to myself, _Please, let it be Arme_.

"Which?" she asked.

"Both. . . I wish," Ronan said softly.

"You'll only get one!" Arme cried.

Ronan and I looked at each other. We knew how much we wanted our lovers back.

"You decide. . ." Ronan whispered.

"Letting him decide? Ha." Arme cackled.

"Ronan. . ." I said. I looked at Elesis, then Arme. I. . .

Looking at the ground, I said, "Give us Elesis."

"Huh?!" I could hear the surprise in Ronan's voice.

"If you say so." Looking back up, I saw Arme turn around.

There was a quick flash of light that disappeared so quickly, I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. Then Arme turned back around and dropped the sword, but she held one hand back. "Take her then." She stepped away.

Quickly, Ronan picked up Elesis in his arms, then backed away.

Smirking, Arme said, "There, you have your girl's body back."

"What did you do?!" Ronan demanded.

"Oh, nothing." She giggled, and I knew.

"You took her soul, didn't you?!" I cried.

"Oh, how _ever_ did you guess, Lassy?"

"Give it back!" Ronan cried, grimacing. He held Elesis' body close to him.

"You only agreed to have her body back, and I gave it to you."

There was some odd groaning sound.

"Hm? Whatever." Arme held out a soft, glowing red sphere. Oh, god. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"You better not do anything you'll regret, Kaze'aze!" Ronan growled.

"I've never regretted anything in my entire life, Ronan Erudon."

There was a rustling, and a few leaves fell on Arme's head. Huh?

Arme looked up, confused.

Directly above her, Sieghart cried, "Have no fear, Sieghart is-whoa!" He fell out of the tree, right on top of Arme, pinning her to the ground.

"Get off of me, mongrel!" Arme cried.

"Phew, that was a fall," Sieghart said.

Rushing in, Ryan cried, "Sieghart, what're you doing?!"

"Huh?" Sieghart tried getting up, but Ronan cried, "Don't get up!"

"Get off of me!" Arme cried.

Sieghart just plopped back down on Arme.

"Get. . . Off!" Arme shot a sphere of dark energy right at Sieghart's face. It knocked him off of Arme. Immediately, she leapt to her feet.

"Damn, you're heavy. . ." she muttered.

Ryan turned into a wolf and lunged at Arme, but she ducked. "Too slow!" So Ryan turned back and lunged again while I dived for Arme's feet. However, she teleported through us.

"Huh?!" I landed flat on my face and cried out in pain. Ryan landed on top of me.

"Oops, sorry Lass!" he said.

"Just get off!" I cried.

"Guys, move it!" I heard, then a couple thwacks as arrows hit wood.

Ryan rolled off me and I stood quickly as Ryan crawled towards Arme.

"Weren't you supposed to find the dead, burnt body of your friend, Jin?" Arme taunted.

Ronan ran into the bushes with Elesis' body and came back out empty-handed.

Arme cackled, then held up the soul. "Make a move and your friend, Elesis, is dead!"

I saw Sieghart start to emit that dark, purple aura of his.

"Come near me, Sieghart, old fool, and your daughter will be nothing," Arme said.

Sieghart grit his teeth, as they seemed to grow noticeably sharper. Holy crap.

"Oh, turning into a demon now?" Arme noted. "Won't save anyone, y'know, but there may be two dead bodies."

"Sieghart, control yourself!" Ronan cried, probably knowing who the dead bodies would be.

"Yes, that's right!" Arme cackled. "Listen to the Royal Guard Master! At least _he_ has your daughter's life in mind!"

Sieghart stood up and took out his gladius. "I have _everyone's_ life on my mind. Especially _yours_."

"Oh, do you?" Arme closed her hand a bit around the soul. "A strong body can't save one's soul. Nor power or will."

"But you won't get away with this. . ." Sieghart said.

"Oh, but I can," Arme said.

"But you won't."

"Oh? What makes you so sure?" Arme closed her fist so the soul couldn't be soon. No. . .

"'Cuz you're forgetting someone," Sieghart said. I glanced around.

"Eh?!" Arme looked around. "Oh sh-"

Jin fell from a tree, landing on his feet gracefully. "Okay, that was scary." Then before any one of us could move, Jin shoved Arme with his Chi wave, and grabbed the hand that held the soul, prying it free. Arme fell to the ground, roughly.

"Damn you, Jin. . ." she growled.

"Hm? I thought I was your favorite vessel," Jin said, then tossed the soul to Ronan, who caught it carefully. "Thanks, Jin. . ."

"Not anymore, Jin, not anymore," Arme snarled. "You'll be dead, just like the others. In fact, I know _just_ who to start with!" She cackled.

"No!" I cried.

"Yes!" Arme cried. "You'll love this, Lassy." She cackled, then let out a small gasp before collapsing.

Oh god, no, no no.

"No, Arme!" I cried, and ran to her side, picking her up in my arms. No, please. . . Why. . .


	79. Chapter 78: Kaze'aze's Castle Redux

Why is it that once we recover one, we lose another?

Ronan hurried over to grab Elesis' body out from the bushes. "How do I do this. . ." Before anyone could answer, the soul slipped out of Ronan's grasp, then seemed to fly through Elesis. It disappeared, however.

Elesis shifted a bit, then groaned.

"Elesis, are you all right?!" Ronan asked.

"Ugh. . . that wasn't fun. . ." she sat up.

"Elesis!" Ronan embraced Elesis, tightly. "Are you all right?!" he asked again.

"Yeah, I think. . ."

"I'm so glad. . ."

"Arme. . ." Elesis groaned. "She took Arme. . ."

"Huh? What?" Ronan seemed confused.

"Kaze'aze. . ." she explained. "She took Arme. . . Her soul. . ."

"What?!"

"Arme, wake up, please!" Lass cried desperately.

"Won't. . ." Elesis said. "Find Kaze'aze. . ."

"Where is she?!" Lass cried. "Arme. . . We have to get her back!"

"Don't know where. . ."

Lass looked as if he were in complete despair. . . He buried his face in Arme's stomach, crying, calling her name.

"We need to move. . ." Lire said.

"Lass. . ." Ronan pat Lass on the back. "Don't worry, we'll find her. . ."

I turned elf again, and tried not to cry. "Ch-Cheer up, Lass. . ."

"Please, be strong, for Arme's sake. . ." Lire told Lass.

Sitting up, Lass held his face in his hands. "Ugh. . . She's taken my beauty and my bride. . . my damn luck. . ."

"C'mon, let's go rescue her!" Lire seemed to be trying to stay optimistic.

"A-Alright. . ."

Elesis tried to stand up, though she looked shaky, so Ronan picked her up. "I'll carry you."

"I-I'm fine. . ."

"No, I insist!"

"But. . . We gotta fight Kaze'aze. . ."

"I'll let you down when we find her."

"F-Fine, but please, let's hurry. . ."

"Of course we'll hurry! We'll do anything to rescue Arme, right?" Lire said.

"Of course we will. . ." Lass removed his hands from his face, looking a bit disheartened.

"Well, let's go then."

"Okay. . ." I helped Lass get Arme onto his back.

"Kaze'aze's Castle. . . Gotta go there. . ." Elesis seemed to dread going back. In fact, she fainted.

"Oh, great," Lire grumbled, referring to either the thought of going back to the Castle, or from Elesis fainting.

"But it was burnt down!" Ronan cried.

"But, it could've been rebuilt," Lire said.

"In this little time?" I asked skeptically.

"You never know." Lire shrugged. "After all, Kaze'aze has many followers." True.

"Well, let's just get there first. . ." Ronan murmured, and kissed Elesis softly.

"I believe the Ellia Continent was to the east?" Lire pointed north.

"Er, you mean that way?" I pointed the opposite direction. I was pretty sure that east was opposite of north, but then again. . .

"Dumbass, it's that way!" Sieghart walked to the left of the direction Lire had pointed.

Jin began walking the other way Sieghart was going. Lass and Ronan followed, then Lire, and me.

"Huh? You're going the wrong way!" Sieghart cried, chasing after us.

After a few hours of walking, we were getting near.

"Who'd have though we'd be here again," Lire said.

"Where are we?" Lass asked. He didn't know because he was bent over, only seeing the ground and feet.

"Do you want me to carry Arme?" Jin offered.

"I. . . I'm. . ." It seemed Lass would refuse, but then, "Oh, bah, please?" He stopped to allow Jin to take Arme. Hopefully we found save Arme before it was too late!

"I see something in the distance," Lire told us.

"What is it?" Sieghart asked.

"I think it's. . . Kaze'aze's Castle!"

"What!" I cried out. How did we get there so fast? And. . . who knew it was rebuilt so much.

"Let's hurry up," Ronan said, and let Elesis down, who had woken up during the trip over. She had been complaining about being carried, so I was glad she would shut up.

However, as soon as her feet touched the ground, Elesis took her sword out, ran towards the castle, and cried out, "Charge!"

"Elesis!" Lire cried. "Jeez. . ." She took an arrow out and readied it in her bow and followed. Ronan followed.

I let out a wolfish howl before I transformed into an actual wolf and charged after.

"Wait f'r me!" I heard Sieghart cry from behind. Looking back, I saw his aura seeping out, and a look of madness had spread across his face, instilling fear into me. I ran faster.

"Elesis, slow down!" Lire shouted.

"We have to hurry and save Arme though!" Elesis shouted back, then looked back at us. "Lass?! Aren't you usually faster than th-" Before Elesis could finish, she ran right into a wall. How does one do that? Oh, right.

"Elesis!" Lire cried.

"Ow. I wasn't looking." Elesis held one hand on the castle's wall, the other hand rubbing her face. "That hurt."

"Elesis!" Ronan came over to her. "Pay more attention."

"Okay, okay! Ow. . ."

"C'mon, let's go," Lass said, running up to us.

"There's the entrance," Lire pointed out. She walked over and looked in. Lass ran over, but he must've misjudged his steps, as he ran right into the side of it.

"Lass!" Elesis cried.

"My bad," Lass grumbled.

"C'mon already!" Lire said impatiently, and began to walk in.

"Maybe we should rest," Elesis said.

"Don't mind if I do," Sieghart said, and plopped down.

I was feeling tired and sat down, scratching my side with my hind leg. That felt goooood. . .

"We shouldn't reset for too long!" Lire looked incredibly impatient.

"Not that I wanna hear," Sieghart grumbled. "Oh well, we need to find Arme anyways."

"No more than ten minutes, then we go find Kaze'aze, okay?" Elesis said.

Jin laid Arme's body down, next to Lass.

"I'm anxious," Lire grumbled. We could see that.

"I'm sorry. . ." Lass whispered as he held Arme's body.

It was subtle, but I noticed some rank smell.

"What's that smell?" Lire asked.

"Hm?" Ronan sniffed the air as well.

"Oh crap, not again. . ." Elesis whispered. Huh?

"Ugh, blech!" I made a gagging noise. It was getting more rank.

Sieghart looked a bit disturbed.

"Run like Hell!" Elesis cried suddenly, and ran inside the castle. Was she scared?

Jin picked Arme up and ran inside, while Lire followed Elesis. I leaped over to Lass and dragged him in. Ronan came last, so I must not have seen Sieghart run in.

"No, not again!" I heard Elesis cry. It seemed she was running away from the stench. Why did it seem somewhat familiar?

"Elesis! Come back!" Lire yelled.

I saw Elesis down a corridor, and a black-haired man grab her. She let out a yelp.

"C'mon, this way!" Sieghart said.

"I don't want to go that way!" Elesis cried.

"I don't care, we gotta!"

"No! I don't want to!" What was wrong with Elesis?

Not wanting to argue much more, Sieghart slung Elesis over his shoulder. "Okay, c'mon."

"Let me go!" Elesis cried. Sieghart ignored her as he came back to us. We slowly entered the throne room.

"Kaze'aze? Are you here?" Lire looked around the room.

"Let me go!" Elesis cried again from behind me.

"Shut up," Sieghart said. I could hear a slight growl creeping into his voice.

"Let me go, I don't want to get near those dogs again!" Elesis yelled. Those dogs. . . Those. . . Those rotting dogs? She was scared of those?

"I said shut up," Sieghart said again.

"No! Let go!"

"Shut up!" Sieghart yelled. I hardly heard him yell at Elesis. But then again, she was probably getting on his nerves. But fear. . . It was a force to be reckoned with.

Suddenly, Sieghart grabbed Elesis' neck as he placed her on the ground, standing. "If you don't shut up, I'm disowning you and slicing your neck."

"W-What?!"

"You heard me!"

"B-But. . . Please, just let me go!" One could tell she was desperate to get away.

"Why the hell should I do that?"

"I don't want to go that way. . ."

Not answering, Sieghart held his blade to Elesis' neck. I felt a slight chill.

"Sieghart!" Ronan cried. "You don't have to be so aggressive. . ."

"Y-You're going to cut my throat out?" Elesis asked, slightly bewildered. "A-Are you possessed again?"

"No, I'm pissed." Sieghart frowned.

"I just. . . I just don't want to see those dogs again. . ."

"Shut up. Your whining is making me angry!"

Elesis took a couple steps back, away from the blade, away from Sieghart. She was frightened, it was apparent in her eyes, in her body movements. I could smell the fear on her. Then, she made a run for it.

"Fool!" Sieghart snarled, his aura coming out thickly, and then he charged towards her.

"Sieghart, no wait!" Ronan cried, and ran after.

"Dammit, where are they going?!" I growled.

"I don't know, but it can't be good," Lire said. "Especially if Sieghart's like that to Elesis!"

"Well, he said he was pissed," Lass said.

"But does he have to take it out on her?" Lire asked.

"He was angry because she was being loud when we're trying to find the Kaze'aze without first being discovered," Jin explained. I could see he was annoyed.

"But, it seems like Elesis was really scared. . ." Lire said.

"I know that she's only a child," Jin said, "but Sieghart expects her to be more mature. . ." Yeah, Elesis was a child. Sure.

"I find it hard to keep calm and mature when faced with something you fear. And Elesis told me that she had developed a great fear for those dogs."

"Maybe Sieghart needs to taste his own fears to get some sense knocked into him," Lass said. Lire nodded.

I said nothing, only turned to the direction that the three had ran. I could still see them with my keen vision. It was a bit frightening how clearly I could see and hear them.

Elesis tripped, but she didn't make an effort to get up. Instead, she tried her best to curl up, tightly. Sieghart skidded to a halt beside her.

"Sieghart, no!" Ronan cried, and leaped on him.

"Get off, fool!" Sieghart growled, but fell over. I could hear Elesis' whimper.

Ronan fell with, and was pinned underneath. "Elesis is still young! You can't expect her to face her fears without actually acting fearful!"

"She needs to act mature!" Sieghart argued.

"She's only fifteen!"

"Well, ni-" Sieghart stopped mid-sentence and flung Ronan off, then grabbed Elesis' foot when she tried to crawl away.

"I'm really angry, okay?! Leave me be, Ronan."

"No, let me go!" Elesis yelled.

"Like hell I'll let you hurt her!" Ronan cried, and gathered a ball of energy, trying to look intimidating.

"You dare defy me?!" Sieghart growled.

"Y-Yeah!" Ronan said, though he looked a bit shaky.

Suddenly, something I rarely saw happened. Elesis began to cry.

Sieghart looked down at her in pity.

"Please, just let me go!" Elesis cried. "I don't want to go on anymore. . . I can't!"

Sieghart's look of pity turned to that of anger, then he turned away, looking disgraced. Then he walked back towards us, leaving her there, sobbing.

Ronan crouched down by her side and picked her up, hugging her tightly.

"I j-just want t-to go h-home. . ." she sobbed.

"It's okay, Elesis," Ronan whispered. "We can go home soon, I promise. . ." How could I hear all this, see all this, so well?

"I w-want to g-go home _n-now_! I d-don't want to do t-this anymore i-if it means s-seeing those dogs a-again. . ." Those dogs must've been more fearful to her than I realized. . .

"They're not going to be able to hurt you anymore. I won't let them," Ronan said reassuringly.

Elesis seemed to hesitate before she said, "O-Okay. . . But c-can we j-just leave?"

"No. . ." he answered. "I'm afraid we can't. . . We have to save Arme. . ."

"Oh. . . Yeah. . . I. . . Let's go. . ." Elesis stood up, though she didn't look happy.

"You can stay at the entrance if you want. . . and wait," Ronan offered.

"N-No. . ." Elesis said, a bit defiantly. "We go-gotta rescue Arme." That was more like the old Elesis I knew.

"If you're sure," Ronan said.

The two of them came back, somewhat slowly. Sieghart had his back turned to them when they arrived, facing us. It was slightly unnerving.

"We ready?" Lire asked as the two approached.

"Yep," Lass answered.

"I think," I said, the stench stuck in my nose. Euch.

"Let's go then." Lire walked farther into the throne room, looking around nervously.

I walked a bit past her, sniffing around. It was dark. . . I could smell something besides the rotting, but what?

Sieghart came in behind me, Lass by him, while Ronan and Elesis entered last. Jin stayed behind Lire.

Then, when my eyes adjusted to the dimness, I could see, at the throne, Kaze'aze. In front of her was a cloaked female. I could tell by the smell.

"So you have come," Kaze'aze said, only. . . She sounded a bit different. Her voice seemed smoother, and less growly.

"Just like I knew you would," she continued. "Oh, Jin, it's been such a while, hm?"

"Kaze'az-" Sieghart began, before Lass interrupted. "Your reign of terror ends here!"

"That was my line. . ." Sieghart grumbled.

"I think not," Kaze'aze said. "How can you face me, both at once?"

"Huh?" Jin said. I was just as confused as he.

"Have you forgotten Jin? Oh, how I am hurt! I have shown you both my forms, Jin. At least, in your mind." Huh?

"What're you talking about?" Ronan demanded.

"Oh, you see, Royal Guard Master, I have _two_ forms with which to destroy you with." Two?! Wait, was one. . .

"I'd like to see you try!" I growled, a bit nervous.

"Is that your last wish, wolf boy?" Kaze'aze said, then she pulled back the hood of the cloak.

"Holy crap!" I cried. I remembered her! Back at one visit to the castle. . . Arme fought Kaze'aze like this! She looked kinda pretty. . . But not as pretty as Lire!

I mean, Kaze'aze. . . She had this dark brown skin, with dark purple hair. It kinda was in a style similar to Lire's when she was an Arch Ranger, but with purple hair, and red tipped at these two ends of her hair. Kaze'aze's eyes were green. . . Like her giant dog form. Eep. Scary.

Kaze'aze smiled. "Do you remember me? I'm sure you do, when you saw me when you were looking for the wretched girl, and found the mage, fighting me. Now do you remember, Jin?"

"Who the Hell are you?!" Lass cried. Apparently Lass never saw this form of Kaze'aze before.

"Do you not remember?"

"Uh, yeah, I really don't know," Jin admitted.

"Is that how you really look?" Sieghart asked.

"Damn, you're ugly," Lass said.

I feigned laughter, falling over in mock laughter, though I think I overdid it.

"Over doing it much?" Sieghart kicked me in the side and I yelped.

"Go ahead and laugh all you want, it won't do anything to delay the inevitable." Though, I could see Kaze'aze was angry.

"Dude, we just delayed you by five seconds. Ha!" Lass cried.

"Yeah!" I agreed. "Ten!"

"Is Grand Chase really this stupid?" I heard Kaze'aze mutter.

"No, it's just them," Sieghart said, holding a hand to his face in exasperation.

"Yes. . . You, Sieghart, you were a worth opponent. But this time, you shall suffer greatly," Kaze'aze said.

"Which explains why I'm so skeptical," Sieghart grumbled.

"You shall never win again, Grand Chase. I shall send you all to Hell, and you shall all stay there, for eternity." Oh gee, I'm scared.

"Lovely compliments. Now, can we cut to the chase?" Lass said.

"Oh, yes we shall. The chase shall begin. But you shall be the ones chased. Chased right to death, that is." Kaze'aze smiled quite wickedly.

"Yeah, right!" Sieghart cried, and readied his weapon. We all did. Though, I had claws and fangs instead.

"We'll rescue Arme, and we'll defeat you, once and for all!" Lire shouted.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about Arme," I said. "I mean. . . Yeah!"

"Stupid!" Lass cried.

"You think you can beat me?" Kaze'aze snarled. "You think you'll rescue your pathetic little mage? You think that you can win? I'd love to see you try!" She held out her hand, an oddly colored orb floating. She tossed it in front of her, and it began to expand. Everything inside turned black, or maybe it was covered by the orb.

"H-Hey!" Lass cried. "Stop! What're you doing?!"

"Don't even think about running." Kaze'aze snapped her fingers, and suddenly, rotting dogs blocked our only way out.

Lass growled a bit, holding up his nodachi. He held out and odd charm and hung it around his neck. "C'mon, I'll take all you've got, you wench!"

"All of us will!" Ronan cried.

"That thing? Please. My magic has increased so much, that thing won't help you. Prepare to face your worst nightmares, you fools!" Kaze'aze began to laugh.

We all began to charge, minus Lire, but as the orb expanded, trapping us inside, we all found out we couldn't move. What's going on?!

"What the hell?!" Lass cried.

"I can't move!" Lire shouted.

"We're doomed, aren't we. . ." Elesis whispered.

"Stop being so negative. . ." Ronan grumbled.

"She's right. You're all going to die. . . You can't move now!" Kaze'aze' cackled.

"Yeah?!" I cried. "Well. . .!" I tried to move left and right, in vain.

"You shall all die, facing your worst fears! Begone!" Kaze'aze waved her hand at us, and then I blacked out. I thought I heard a scream. It sounded like Lass.


End file.
